Autumn is the season for art! Introducing 7 recommended art galleries and museums in Miyagi Prefecture!

The summer heat is easing, and autumn is finally here. Although autumn in Tohoku is short, you still want to enjoy it to the fullest! While we would normally recommend things like food, autumn leaves, and hiking, this time we'll be introducing some of our personal recommendations for art galleries and museums in Miyagi Prefecture that you can drop into on a casual drive, regardless of the weather

[Tagajo City] Tohoku History Museum

The Tohoku History Museum in Tagajo City is the central museum of Miyagi Prefecture. It opened in 1974, but due to aging, it was relocated and renovated to its current location in 1999. It serves as a base for learning about the history of Tohoku and Miyagi, passing on the excellent local culture, and supporting cultural creation in the 21st century

The facility has a general exhibition room , a themed exhibition room, a video exhibition room, and a special exhibition room. The general exhibition room displays the history of the entire Tohoku region from the Paleolithic period to modern times, divided into nine sections by era.

The third floor of the main building also houses the Children's History Museum, a library and information room, etc. Adjacent to the main building is the Konno Family Residence, a tangible cultural property designated by Miyagi Prefecture that was relocated from Hashiura, Kitakami-cho, Ishinomaki City

Recently, the "World Heritage Silk Road Exhibition," which was held in the special exhibition room for approximately two months from April 9, 2024, attracted a great deal of attention

Information

• Address: 1-22-1 Takasaki, Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture, 985-0862
• Opening hours: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM (Tickets are issued until 4:30 PM)
• Closed: Every Monday (or the following weekday if Monday is a public holiday), New Year's holiday (December 29th to January 4th)
• Admission fees and permanent exhibition: Individuals/General: 460 yen; Elementary, junior high and high school students: Free *Special exhibitions have separate fees
• Contact: Tohoku History Museum, Management Department, Information Services Team
  • Phone number: 022-368-0106
    • Email: thm-service@pref.miyagi.lg.jp
    • Building design: Space Design Co., Ltd
    • URL: https://www.thm.pref.miyagi.jp/

Google Map

---

[Sendai City] Sendai City Museum

This is the central historical museum in Sendai City, located on the site of the Sannomaru bailey of Sendai Castle

The museum opened in 1961 to store, exhibit, and research cultural assets donated by the Sendai Date clan in 1951. It houses approximately 100,000 items, including the National Treasure "Materials Related to the Keicho Embassy to Europe," which includes the "Portrait of Hasekura Tsunenaga," which is registered as a UNESCO Memory of the World Heritage Site, as well as important cultural properties such as the armor and jinbaori used by Date Masamune and the armor used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi

The facility has a permanent exhibition room, special exhibition room, themed exhibition room, collection exhibition room, and special exhibition room

In the past, various special exhibitions have been held, including the "Ancient Egypt from the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden" exhibition in 2021

The building has been closed since October 2021 for renovation work to extend its lifespan, but will reopen in April 2024

Information

• Address: 26 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0862
• Opening hours: 9:00 to 16:45 (last entry at 16:15)
• Closed: Mondays (open on public holidays and substitute holidays)
• Admission fee
  • Permanent exhibition: Adults and university students: 460 yen, high school students: 230 yen, elementary and junior high school students: 110 yen
  • Special exhibitions: Fees are separate from the permanent exhibition admission fee. Please check the website below for details
• Phone number: 022-225-3074
• Building design: Sato Sogo Keikaku
• URL: https://www.city.sendai.jp/museum/

Google Map

---

[Shiogama City] Sugano Museum of Art

The Sugano Museum of Art is a private art museum located in Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture, that exhibits sculptures

This private art museum opened in March 2006 and was established by Kiyo Kanno, founder of the Kanno Aisei Medical Corporation, which operates a hospital in Miyagi Prefecture, with the aim of becoming a local art hub, based on his personal collection of modern Western sculptures. The museum houses eight sculptures by artists such as Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, and Pericle Fazzini. The building's design was handled by Miyagi-based architect Hitoshi Abe, and the structural design was handled by Masato Shintani, and the building itself was designed to have the quality of a sculpture

The building was also selected as an award-winning work by the Architectural Institute of Japan in 2009

Information

• Address: 3-4-15 Tamagawa, Shiogama City, Miyagi Prefecture, 985-0042
• Opening hours: 10:00-17:00 (entry accepted until 16:30)
• Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays (open on public holidays and closed the following day)
• Admission fee: *Special exhibitions are held several times a year, alternating with permanent exhibitions of the museum's collection
  • Permanent exhibition period: Adults: 300 yen, University and high school students: 200 yen, Junior high school students and younger: Free
  • Special exhibition period: Adults: 500 yen, University and high school students: 300 yen, Junior high school students and younger: Free
• Phone number: 022-361-1222
• Building design: Hitoshi Abe (architect)
• URL: http://www.kanno-museum.jp/index.html

Google Map

---

[Osaki City] Sense Museum

The Senses Museum is the first museum in Japan to focus on the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. It opened on August 4, 2000, and aims to help people regain the "comfort" and "spiritual richness" that we tend to lose in our materialistic lives by honing their sensibilities and enhancing their imaginations through sensory experiences

The museum is divided into two zones: the Dialogue Zone (a space for physical sensations) and the Monologue Zone (a space for meditation), and features exhibits that allow visitors to become aware of their senses through experiences such as seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling

• Dialogue Zone (body sensation space)
  • This space is themed around physical sensations, and allows visitors to experience a virtual dialogue between the creators and the participants through the exhibition
• Monologue Zone (meditation space)
  • The exhibitions and presentation space are based on the theme of divine sensations and stimulate the imagination of the visitor, gradually making them forget their everyday senses and inviting them into a world of meditation

Information

• Address: 100 Iwadeyama Shimokawaharacho, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, 989-6434
• Opening hours: 9:30-17:00 (last entry 16:30)
• Closed: Every Monday (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday)
• Admission fee: Adults/800 yen, High school students/400 yen, Middle school students/350 yen, Elementary school students/300 yen
• Inquiries: 0229-72-5588
• Design: Rokkaku Onijo Planning Studio
• Completed by: Maeda Corporation Tohoku Branch
• URL: https://www.kankaku.org/

Google Map

---

[ Tome City ] Satoru Sato Art Museum

The Satoru Sato Art Museum opened on July 28, 2007 on the third floor of the Tome City Nakata Lifelong Learning Center, a renovated former Sakuraba Elementary School building in Kaminuma, Nakata-cho, Tome City. The museum exhibits a collection of geometric composition paintings donated by Satoru Sato, a visual artist from Tome City, and the friends he met during his stay in Paris

In addition to art exhibited indoors, Satoru Sato's works include sculptures, landscape designs, and other environmental art pieces that are displayed outdoors, and there are many of them around the world.In his hometown of Tome City, there are 14 environmental art pieces

Information

• Address: 3F Tome City Nakada Lifelong Learning Center, 43 Tate, Uenuma, Nakada-cho, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, 987-0602
• Opening hours: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (entry until 4:00 PM)
• Closed: Every Monday (open if Monday is a public holiday), New Year's holiday (12/28 - 1/4)
• Admission fee: Free
• Inquiries: 0220-34-8081
• URL: https://www.city.tome.miyagi.jp/satorusatoartmuseum/index.html

Google Map

---

[Sendai City] Shimakawa Art Museum

The Shimakawa Art Museum was originally opened in Zao Town, Katta District, Miyagi Prefecture as the "Yell Zao Shimakawa Memorial Museum," based on the collection of Takaya Shimakawa, CEO of Japan Health Summit Co., Ltd. It was relocated and reopened as the "Shimakawa Art Museum" in Honmachi, Aoba Ward, Sendai City in March 2019

The second to fifth floors of the building are exhibition floors, and after paying the admission fee at the reception on the first floor, you take the elevator to the fifth floor and then take the stairs down to the first floor to view each floor

The Shimakawa Art Museum's distinctive features are its vast collection and the fact that you can see works by famous painters who have colored art history all at once. Although we say art history, there are also many works of contemporary art, so it can be enjoyed by people of all ages

The collection mainly includes works by Yokoyama Taikan, Hayami Gyofune, Higashiyama Kaii, Kayama Matazo, Hirayama Ikuo, and Morimoto Sosuke, as well as many other works such as Raku tea bowls, ceramics, and Western glass

Information

• Address: 2-14-24 Honmachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 980-0014
• Opening hours: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM (last entry at 2:30 PM)
• Closed: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, New Year's holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
• Admission fee: Adults: 1,000 yen, High school students: 500 yen, Elementary and junior high school students: 300 yen
• Inquiries: 022-214-7080
• URL: https://shimakawa-museum.jp/

Google Map

---

[Osaki City] Nakabachi Museum of Art

art museum located in Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture . From a global perspective, Japanese swords are considered the most highly regarded of all Japanese arts and crafts. This museum specializes in Japanese swords, showcasing the history of their origins in Tohoku, their works, and how they have been connected to various countries.

Many blacksmith groups were active in Oshu, and it is said that there were blacksmith groups from the Maikusa, Gassan, and Tamazukuri schools

style which was produced around Mokusa Shrine , located halfway up Mt. Kannon in the Maikusa district of Ichinoseki city, -kei" style, which was produced by a group that was subjugated early on under the Ritsuryo government, mainly in northern Miyagi prefecture; Gassan-kei style , which was produced by a group centered around the Dewa Sanzan mountains.In addition, there are more than 50 swords on display at any one time, including warabite swords, straight swords, Ainu swords, ancient swords from the continent, swords exported through the Kango trade, swords made in collaboration with foreign swordsmiths, and local swords.

Information

• Address: 7-6 Iwadeyamakamikawaharacho, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, 989-6433
• Opening hours: 10:00-16:00
• Closed: December 29th - January 3rd
• Admission fee: Adults: 500 yen, University and high school students: 300 yen, Elementary and junior high school students: 100 yen
• Inquiries: 0229-29-9833
• URL: https://chubachimuseum.client.jp/index.html

Google Map

---

summary

There are many other art galleries and museums of various sizes in Miyagi Prefecture. This is a subjective selection, so there may be some places that you would like to recommend that are not included!

This time, autumn is the season for art! So, we visited various places in the prefecture, but we recommend stopping by while you're out for a drive

You may come across various facilities during your drive

I would also like to introduce the Miyagi Museum of Art, but it is currently closed for renovations to extend its lifespan. Renovation work will begin on June 19, 2023, and the museum is scheduled to reopen in fiscal year 2025

This will be the first major construction project in over 40 years since 1981, and we look forward to its opening next year

---