Welcome to the Tanaka Honke Museum

This museum opened in 1993, giving visitors the opportunity to view the estate and the vast collection of everyday items handed down through successive generations of the Tanaka family since its founder, Shinpachi, first commenced commercial activities on this site in 1733.

The site covers some 9,917 square metres, measuring roughly 100 metres in each direction, flanked by 20 earthen storehouses. Five of these storehouses are on permanent display.

Shinpachi started trading in commodities such as grain, canola oil, tobacco and cotton, then be came a sake brewer. As purveyors to the Suzaka Domain, Shinpachi and successive generations became wealthy landowners after having been granted the right to bear a surname and carry a sword.

Over 60,000 items are preserved in the storehouses, including articles of clothing, ceramic and porcelain ware, lacquerware, calligraphic works, toys and household furnishings and implements dating from the Edo period to the Showa period. With these artefacts providing a real insight into the lifestyle and culture of the period, the museum is able to present four or five themed exhibitions each year, in addition to its permanent exhibitions.

The site also has three formal gardens for visitors to stroll through season by season, including a traditional Japanese landscape garden created during the Edo period.

The museum intends to continue its research based on the materials in its possession, publishing the results in order to contribute to the advancement of local culture.

We hope you enjoy your visit.

The Tanaka-Honke Museum Foundation
Director, Hirokazu Tanaka