A prefectural museum is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

that specializes in

collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collection ...

local to a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Prefectural museums emerged in

postwar Japan Post-occupation Japan is the period in postwar Japanese history which started when the Allied occupation of Japan ended in 1952 and lasted to the end of the Showa era in 1989. Despite the massive devastation it suffered in the Second World War, ...

, and since these institutions are of recent origin their collections tend not to contain older Japan arts, with primarily

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

20th-century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...

, and

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

. Most prefectural museums feature collections of arts, culture, and history with a strong emphasis on their native prefecture, but can exhibit works and collections from outside of the prefecture alongside the native collections, usually contemporary art from cultural centers such as

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and exotic art from outside Japan. For example, the

Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum opened in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, in 2005. The collection comprises artworks relating to Nagasaki as well as works of Spanish art collected by , special envoy to Spain during the Second World War. Alongside the Nagasaki Museum of ...

specializing in art related to the city of

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

also houses a collection of paintings from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

belonging to a Japanese collector. Prefectural museums tend to be large and some are more distinguished for their own

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

than for the collections they hold. Noted architect

Kunio Maekawa was a Japanese architect and a key figure in Japanese postwar modernism. His distinctive architectural language deftly blended together elements of traditional Japanese design and modernist tenets from Europe, drawing from early career work exp ...

designed both the Kumamoto Prefectural Art Museum in

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

as well as the Saitama Prefectural Museum at Ōmiya Ward, Saitama.

List of prefectural museums

Examples of prefectural museums include: *

Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum The is a prefectural art museum located in the city of Seto, north of the metropolis of Nagoya in central Japan. This museum was formally named "Aichi-ken Toji Shiryokan (愛知県陶磁資料館)", but the name in English has been the same as b ...

Aomori Prefectural Museum The is a museum located in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The museum has a collection of artifacts from the Jōmon Period, as well as exhibits detailing Aomori's culture and history. The museum opened in 1973. See also *List of Important ...

Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum The , located in Katsuyama, Fukui, Japan, is one of the leading dinosaur museums in Asia that is renowned for its exhibits of fossil specimens of dinosaurs and paleontological research. It is sited in the Nagaoyama Park ( Katsuyama Dinosaur For ...

Fukui Prefectural Museum of Cultural History is a prefectural museum in Fukui, Japan, dedicated to the history and culture of Fukui Prefecture. The museum opened in 1984 and reopened after refurbishment in 2003. See also * Wakasa Province * Echizen Province * List of Historic Sites of ...

Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art opened in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1985. The collection focuses upon artists from Fukuoka Prefecture and Kyūshū more generally, and includes works by Harue Koga, Koga Harue. The Museum's precursor, the , which combined art museum with library, opene ...

Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art is a museum located in Fukushima City, at the base of Mount Shinobu. It shares a campus of over 60,000 square meters with Fukushima Prefectural Library. The two facilities were established together in July, 1984. However, the museum maintains its ...

Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum The is an art museum founded in 1968. It was reconstructed in 1996. It is located near Shukkei-en in Hiroshima, Japan. Access *Hiroden Shukkeien-mae Station * JR Hiroshima Station Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum Void 2014.jpg, Atrium of the ...

Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of History is a prefectural museum in Fukuyama, Japan, dedicated to the history and culture of the Setouchi region. It has a particular focus upon the medieval settlement of Kusado Sengen. The museum opened in the grounds of Fukuyama Castle in 1989. Se ...

Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art is a purpose built municipal art gallery in Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was opened in 2002. The major collections of the museum are foreign and Japanese sculptures, foreign and Japanese prints, Western-style and Japanese-style ...

Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History The is a local history museum in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. It is one of Japan's many museums which are supported by a prefecture. The museum opened in September 1974. The collection focuses on the history of Ibaraki and the grounds also include a n ...

Ishikawa Prefectural History Museum is a prefectural museum in Kanazawa, Japan, dedicated to the history and culture of Ishikawa Prefecture. The three ICP red brick buildings date to 1909-14 and functioned first as the local arsenal, then after the Pacific War as the Kanazawa Coll ...

Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art , also known as IPMA, is the main art gallery of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is one of Japan's many museums which are supported by a prefecture. The collection includes some of the prefecture's most important cultural assets and works by artis ...

Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts The Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts ( ja, 1=石川県立伝統産業工芸館) is a museum about traditional arts and crafts located in Kenroku-en, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. History The museum was closed ...

* Kōchi Prefectural Museum of Art *

Kōchi Prefectural Museum of History opened in Nankoku, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan, in 1991. Located on the site of Okō Castle and the Chōsokabe clan residence, the collection relates to the archaeology, history, and folk customs of the area. See also * List of Cultural Proper ...

Kumamoto Prefectural Ancient Burial Mound Museum is a museum of decorated kofun in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The collection includes full-size replicas of the inner chambers of twelve tumuli. The museum was designed by Tadao Ando and completed at a cost of ¥1.6 bn in April 1992. ...

* Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art * Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum * Miyazaki Prefectural Museum of Nature and History *

Ōita Prefectural Museum of History The opened in Usa, Ōita Prefecture, Japan in 1998, replacing the of 1981. It is one of Japan's many museums which are supported by a prefecture. The collection is organised around themes including life and ancient Buddhism in Toyo no kuni ...

Okayama Prefectural Museum is a museum in Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan. It was built to house important artifacts from the prefecture dating from prehistory through modern times. Notable exhibits The museum houses one National Treasure, red-laced '' yoroi'' armor from the 12th ...

Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art The is located in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is one of Japan's many museums which are supported by a prefecture. The museum, by architects Okada & Associates, opened in 1988 and has a collection of around two thousand works. See al ...

Okinawa Prefectural Museum The is a museum in the most southern prefecture of Japan. The museum complex in the Omoro-machi area of Naha, the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture. It opened in November 2007, and includes art, history, and natural history museums focusing spe ...

* Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu Asuka Museum *

Reimeikan, Kagoshima Prefectural Center for Historical Material opened in Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Na ...

* Saga Prefectural Museum *

Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum opened in 1993 in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan, on the site of Nagoya Castle, built in 1591 as the base for Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea. It displays artefacts excavated from the castle site and other materials relating to three main theme ...

Saitama Prefectural Museum of the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds The is a museum in Gyōda, Saitama, Japan. The building is inside of Sakitama Kofun Park. It is one of Japan's many museums which are supported by a prefecture. The museum was originally established as in 1969 as part of the construction of , ...

* Tochigi Prefectural Museum *

Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts opened in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, in 1972. The collection includes works by Shōji Hamada, Hamada Shōji, Takahashi Yuichi, John Constable, Constable, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Corot, Thomas Gainsborough, Gainsborough, Monet, an ...

Tokushima Prefectural Museum is a prefectural museum in Tokushima, Japan, dedicated to the nature, archaeology, history, folklore, and art of Tokushima Prefecture. It first opened in 1959 and reopened in new premises in 1990. See also * List of Historic Sites of Japan (To ...

Tottori Prefectural Museum The is a prefectural museum located in Tottori, Japan, dedicated to the nature, history, folklore, and art of Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populou ...

Wakayama Prefectural Museum is a history museum in located in the city of Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The focus of the museum is the history and culture of Wakayama Prefecture, and its permanent collection displays artifacts relating to prehistory, Mount Kōya ...

* Yamagata Prefectural Museum *

Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum is a prefectural museum in Yamaguchi, Japan, dedicated to the natural history and history of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It also has displays relating to science, technology, and astronomy. The museum opened as the Bōchō Educational Museum in 1912 ...

Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum of Art , in Yamaguchi City is the main art gallery of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Opened in 1979, the gallery has a permanent collection, part of which is exhibited at any one time, and also hosts special exhibitions. The gallery's photographic collec ...

References

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