Miyajima History and Folklore Museum

The Miyajima History and Folklore Museum is a museum housed in the former residence of the Egami family, a wealthy merchant family, built in the Edo period (early 19th century). It is about a 20-minute walk from the Miyajima Pier. The museum consists of six buildings arranged around a central garden with a pond. In the main house, you can sit on tatami mats and enjoy a relaxing view of the garden at your own pace. The exhibition rooms are divided across four buildings labeled A through D. In Exhibition Room A, where about 200 folk tools are displayed, you can see the "Okezu no Hi no Ogama" (large cauldron of the "eternal flame") that was once placed at the Reikado Hall on Mount Misen. In Exhibition Room B, which presents annual events through panels, you can also see the baking molds used for momiji manju. In Exhibition Room C, you may be amazed by Miyajima’s famous giant rice paddle. In Japan, the tool used to serve rice is generally called a shamoji, but on Miyajima it is said to be called a shakushi. Because using a Miyajima shakushi is believed to invite good fortune, it is a popular souvenir. On the first floor of Exhibition Room D, you can learn about Taira no Kiyomori, who shaped Itsukushima Shrine into its present form, and the history leading up to the shrine’s World Heritage inscription. On the second floor, you can view traditional crafts such as Miyajima-bori lacquerware, along with paintings and folding screens connected to Miyajima.