KYUSHU NATIONAL MUSEUM

Founded on the philosophy of mapping the formation of Japanese culture within the context of Asia’s history, Kyushu National Museum opened its doors in 2005. We are located in Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Once known as the “Distant Imperial Court”, Dazaifu played a vital role in Japanese history as the seat of power in Kyushu. Our museum is a stone’s throw from Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, which enshrines Sugawara no Michizane, a 10th-century aristocrat who is widely revered as a deity of learning, culture, and the arts.
While some of Japan’s other national museums focus on art, we are a history museum. Our regularly rotated exhibitions are on display in the Cultural Exchange Exhibition Hall on the fourth floor. Here, valuable artifacts introduce the history of Japan’s cultural exchanges from the Paleolithic Age to the Edo period (1603 to 1868). Visitors can also experience the cultures of Asian and European countries that have had contact with Japan at Ajippa, our free Interactive Exhibition Hall on the first floor.
Much of the natural environment has been kept, so visitors may enjoy the changing seasons here. Blending in with the mountains around it, the building's gently curving exterior is another highlight of our museum.

With the NaviLens service, Kyushu National Museum is proud to offer guided tours around our facilities, as well as audio guidance for the Cultural Exchange Exhibition on the fourth floor.
NaviLens is a smartphone application that can be downloaded free of charge. Those without smartphones may borrow devices from the service counter on the fourth floor. When you point a smartphone or device camera at our specially designed wayfinding and content tags, the app automatically reads the text into one of over 30 languages, according to the language setting of the smartphone or device.
As a further accessibility measure, exhibition room maps are labeled in simple Japanese, as well as English, Chinese, and Korean. These maps can be found at 13 locations in the Cultural Exchange Exhibition Hall on the fourth floor.
These maps and the NaviLens application ensure that even first-time visitors can find their way around the exhibitions with ease, enhancing the overall museum experience.

Main works

Living to the ripe old age of 88, Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) embarked on this series of sketches in his 82nd year, painting Chinese lions and lion dances every morning for a year to pray for a long life free of misfortune. The result of his effort is the Daily Sketches for Longevity and Exorcism, a series of 219 sketches comprising 165 paintings of lions and 54 paintings of various characters, including lion dancers.

The work comes with documents written by Miyamoto Chū, detailing how his father, Shinsuke, a retainer of the Matsushiro Domain in Shinshū (present-day Nagano) had acquired them. Hokusai had frequently visited the town of Obuse, Shinano (another name for Shinshū) for a period. There, he painted ceiling panels for Iwamatsu-in Temple, as well as festival floats. During one of his visits, Shinsuke commissioned a hanging scroll from Hokusai. Although Hokusai promised that he would paint the scroll and deliver it before returning to Edo, he never got around to it.

Shinsuke, later stationed as an accounting officer (kanjō-gata) at the Matsushiro Domain’s Edo residence, constantly searched for Hokusai’s address. Because Hokusai moved frequently, however, it was three years before Shinsuke finally located the artist in Asakusa-Tamachi, paying him a visit in 1847. Unable to produce the commissioned scrolls, Hokusai instead gifted him over 200 works that comprise the Daily Sketches on the advice of his daughter, Ōi, who had been keeping them for him. In addition, he appended three more works to the collection of drawings: a handwritten preface, a painting of Chintamani (a Buddhist philosopher's stone), and “The Medicine for Longevity.” These paintings thus entered the Miyamoto family collection. During the Meiji era (1868–1912), Chū mounted each sheet separately onto boards.

In this series, Hokusai employed long, fluid brushstrokes to depict the everchanging forms of the lions and lion dances. Similar other works in the form of 10 drawings and 1 scroll can be found at the Hokusai Museum collection in Obuse, Nagano. However, at 219 sheets, this collection serves as an important reference due to its quality, volume, and well-documented provenance.

KYUSHU NATIONAL MUSEUM
*Daily Sketches for Exorcism and Longevity*　By Katsushika Hokusai
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.

This masterpiece was made by Rai Kunimitsu, a sword smith of the Rai school in Yamashiro Province (present-day Kyoto). Kunimitsu was a master craftsman who is known for producing two National Treasures and 22 Important Cultural Properties. The straight white blade pattern on this tachi was one of Rai Kunimitsu's trademarks. Bending around the middle, the slightly wide blade lends the sword an imposing air. It was acquired by Matsudaira Shimousa no Kami Tada’akira, a feudal lord in the early Edo period (1603–1868) who was adopted by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This treasure was handed down through the Tokugawa family from one generation to the next, until it became the property of Yamagata Aritomo in 1885, and was presented to Emperor Meiji during his visit to Yamagata's residence.

KYUSHU NATIONAL MUSEUM
*Tachi* sword signed “Rai Kunimitsu”
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.

Tale of Flowering Fortunes
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.
Shinnari-type iron tea kettle depicting maple leaves, a stream, and chickens
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.
Tea bowl (yuteki tenmoku type)
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.
Haniwa terracotta in the shape of a deer
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.
Sutra box depicting peacocks in gold inlay
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.
Genre Scenes of the Far West
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.
Documents and items related to the Sō clan of Tsushima
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.
Wine jar depicting a pine tree, a plum tree, and bamboo in overglaze enamels
★Please be aware that this work may not be on display at the time of your visit.

KYUSHU NATIONAL MUSEUM
The Exterior of Kyushu National Museum KYUSHU NATIONAL MUSEUM

Place: 4-7-2 Ishizaka, Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Access: By Nishitetsu trains:
- From Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) station (approx. 35 min)
Take the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta line to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi station (about 16 min by Limited Express train and 18 min. by Express train) and transfer over to the Nishitetsu Dazaifu line. Take the train to Nishitetsu Dazaifu station (about 5 min) and walk 10 minutes to the museum.
*No additional charge required for the Limited Express and Express train services

- From Ōmuta
Take the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta line bound for Tenjin to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi station (about 16 min by Limited Express train and 18 min by Express train) and transfer over to the Nishitetsu Dazaifu line. Take the train to Nishitetsu Dazaifu station (about 5 min) and walk 10 minutes to the museum.
*No additional charge required for the Limited Express and Express train services

By JR:
- From JR Hakata station
Board the Tabito Dazaifu Liner bus (about 40 min) and alight at Nishitetsu Dazaifu station. Walk 10 minutes from the station to the museum.

- From JR Futsukaichi station
Option 1: Walk 12 minutes or take a bus (about 6 min) to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi station. Take the Nishitetsu Dazaifu line to Nishitetsu Dazaifu station (about 5 min) and walk 10 minutes to the museum.
Option 2: Hail a cab directly to the museum (about 12 min).
Option 3: Take a bus directly to the museum (about 30 min, 1 bus per hour).

By car:
The museum is about a 20-minute drive from the Dazaifu IC or the Chikushino IC via the Takao intersection.

From Fukuoka Airport :
- By train: Take the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line to Tenjin station and transfer to the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta line. Please refer to the instructions above for how to get here via Nishitetsu trains.
- By bus: Take the free internal shuttle bus from the domestic terminal to the international terminal and board the Tabito Dazaifu Liner bus to Nishitetsu Dazaifu station (about 30 min). Walk 10 minutes to the museum.
- By taxi: Hail a cab directly to the museum (about 30 min).

Time: Regular opening hours: 09:30–17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
During Special Exhibitions:
Sundays to Thursdays: 09:30–17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
Fridays and Saturdays: 09:30–20:00 (last entry at 19:30)
*Please be aware that the museum’s closing times may vary.
https://www.kyuhaku.jp/en/visit/visit_top.html

Closed: The museum is closed on Mondays. When Japanese public or substitute holidays fall on a Monday, we will be open that day and closed on the following working day. We are also closed for about a week at the end of the year.
*For details on when we are closed, please refer to our official website: https://www.kyuhaku.jp/en/visit/visit_top.html

Admissions: For information on admission, please refer to our official website:
https://www.kyuhaku.jp/en/visit/visit_top.html

Ticket: For information on purchasing tickets, please refer to our official website: https://www.kyuhaku.jp/en/visit/visit_top.html

Link: Official Website

Foreign Language Support: At the Information Desk on the first floor, English-speaking staff are always available.
The NaviLens smartphone application provides guided directions inside and outside the museum, as well as an audio guide for the Cultural Exchange Exhibition on the fourth floor. The text may be read in over 30 languages, depending on your smartphone's language setting.
In the Cultural Exchange Exhibition Hall on the fourth floor, there are 13 exhibition room maps in English, Chinese, and Korean, as well as in simple Japanese.

Theatres

KYUSHU NATIONAL MUSEUM

Main works

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