Kanazawa Shinise Memorial Hall

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 Updated

Traditional Crafts Museum | Kanazawa

The Kanazawa Shinise Memorial Hall (also known as the Shinise Kinenkan) is a charming traditional Japanese arts and crafts museum in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. The building was previously owned by the Nakaya Family, a family of pharmacists who's practiced dates as far as 1579. The building was donated to the city of Kanazawa by the Nakaya Family in 1987 with the intention to use the building as a traditional crafts museum. The name Shinise means Old Shop, which describes the style of architecture during the period which splits the storefront and house into two areas. Thanks to the success of the Nakaya Pharmacy, the home was larger than the typical houses at the time, featuring extra rooms, a beautiful Japanese garden, and a tea room for traditional ceremonies and to entertain guest.

Collection of Traditional Japanese Arts

Inside the museum, guests can find an incredible collection of traditional crafts native to Kanazawa and a bit of Kanazawa history in the various rooms. Split between two floors, the first floor includes the Mise-no-mae Storefront exhibit showcasing the tools and medicines used by the Nakaya family, Oe-no-mae lounge area with craft displays, traditional tea-ceremony room, and guest room with gorgeous temari balls. A short trip up the stairs to the second floor rewards travelers with two large exhibition rooms featuring Noh theater masks, Japanese umbrellas, and even a candy tree made entirely from sugar. The museum includes explanations in both Japanese and English, and there's also the Japanese garden to enjoy after all the traditional crafts.

An attractive option to add to any of our best-selling Japan tours, talk to your travel agent about adding the Kanazawa Shinise Museum to your vacation package. You can also talk to one of our travel specialists about arranging a private tour for you and your family in Kanazawa.