Guest writers Kanae and Mariko who worked as summer interns write for this issue.
Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
This museum is Japan’s one and only museum that displays carpentry tools. Visitors can see the history, details of carpentry tools and reproductions of classic tools used for centuries in this country. Exhibitions are easy-to-follow and beautiful to see. There are visual touch screen navigations that allow you to study more about the tools.
When visitors enter the museum, a replica of the five-story Goju-no-to pagoda, built at Horyuji temple in 607 A.D., will greet you. The temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and acknowledged to be one of the oldest wooden buildings existing in the world. Visitors can witness tools that used to build the pagoda in third floor. You’ll find the efforts they put in to build the magnificent pagoda!
This museum is a four-story facility and it will be the best to start with third floor.
Third floor
You can trace back in time alongside with chronology of carpentry tools. It also exhibits tools from another part of the world.
Second floor
Tools are classified according to their purpose on this floor. There are reproductions of tools showing how to use them.
First floor
This floor features tools for veteran carpenters.
Basement floor
This floor is for study. Videos are available.
You cannot miss out an exhibitionsin second floor that shows how carpenters worked before World War II. Apprenticeship which is important in Japanese carpentry is also can be seen in those exhibitions.
Voice of the facility director.
"As lot of credits for internationally acclaimed Japanese architecture go to great carpenters. In this museum, you can see their tools and how great they are!"
Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
Access: Walk 5 minutes from Kobe Muiliple Subway Kencho-mae station, 10 minutes from JR/ Hankyu Motomachi station or drive 10 minutes from Sannomiya station.
Hours: 9:30am – 4:30pm (Last entry at 4pm) Closed on Mondays and 12/26-1/7.
Admission: Adult 300 yen, College and high school students 200 yen, Seniors/School children 100 yen
English, Korean and Chinese guides are available.
Website: http://www.dougukan.jp/contents-en/
Kanae & Mariko