The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is holding a collection exhibition titled "History and Folklore of Musashino: Musashino Folk Museum Collection 2026," introducing materials gathered by its predecessor facility, the Musashino Folk Museum.
About the Exhibition
This exhibition is part of an annual series that introduces materials collected by the Musashino Folk Museum, the facility that preceded today's museum. The Musashino Folk Museum opened in 1954 (Showa 29) and closed in 1991 (Heisei 3). Inside its resource display room (now the Visitor Center), it exhibited archaeological and folklore materials, while its outdoor exhibition area, known as the "Folklore Garden," displayed historical buildings across two zones: an ancient village and an Edo-period village. After the Musashino Folk Museum closed, part of its collection was passed on to the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, continuing to the present day.
This exhibition presents archaeological materials from the Musashino Folk Museum's collection, including clay earrings (late Jomon period, excavated from the Shimofuda site, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property), along with folklore materials such as shop signs and matchbox labels once seen around town. Photo panels also introduce the buildings that once stood in the Folklore Garden. The exhibition offers visitors a chance to learn about the local museum that once stood on this land through the materials it collected.
Exhibition Structure
Prologue: The Formation of the Musashino Folk Museum
Chapter 1: Musashino Folk Museum Collection – Archaeological Materials
Chapter 2: Musashino Folk Museum Collection – Folklore Materials
Epilogue: Musashino Folk Museum Collection – Outdoor Exhibition "Folklore Garden"
Clay earrings (late Jomon period, nationally designated Important Cultural Property)
Pedestaled jar-shaped earthenware (late Yayoi period)
Shop sign reading "澄凉丸" (modern era)
Matchbox label (Showa era)
Matchbox label (Showa era)
Matchbox label (Showa era)
Matchbox label (Showa era)
Related Program
Museum Talk (with sign language interpretation)
Highlights of "History and Folklore of Musashino: Musashino Folk Museum Collection 2026"
Date: July 25 (Sat) and November 28 (Sat), starting at 2:30 PM. Presenter: Mana Ikuta (Curator)
Collection Exhibition | History and Folklore of Musashino: Musashino Folk Museum Collection 2026
Dates: July 18 (Sat) – December 13 (Sun), 2026 (Reiwa 8)
Venue: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (3-7-1 Sakura-cho, Koganei City, within Tokyo Metropolitan Koganei Park), Exhibition Room
Opening hours: Until September 30 (Wed): 9:30 AM–5:30 PM (last admission 5:00 PM). From October 1 (Thu): 9:30 AM–4:30 PM (last admission 4:00 PM)
Closed: Mondays (or the following weekday if Monday is a public holiday)
Organizers: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
Admission: Included with regular Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum admission
Exhibition website: https://www.tatemonoen.jp/special/2026/20260718.php
