Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum: Learn All About Japanese Architecture

Experience Japanese Wooden Architecture at Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum

About seventy percent of Japanese land is covered by forest, and from the ancient times, Japanese people have co-existed with trees. Housing, one of the necessities in life, was created from wood.

In Japan, carpenters are called daiku. Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum (daiku dogu-kan) located in Kobe exhibits the works and tools of master carpenters, and visitors can also participate in various workshops about Japanese architecture here.

The museum has become popular through the Internet and also by word of mouth, even welcoming about two thousand visitors from abroad every year. The following are five things that visitors can enjoy at Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum.

1. The Building and the Garden

The reinforced concrete building is one floor above ground and two floors underground. It is also decorated with wood, and has a look of traditional Japanese wooden architecture.

Beyond the gardens, the Rokko mountain range is used as a shakkei (*1).

*1 Shakkei: A technique used in Japanese gardens, to take in the view of the surrounding landscape.

MATCHA made a visit in early autumn, when the leaves of Japanese maples started to change their colors. The Japanese garden, with its distinct selection of seasonal plants, is another charming feature of this museum.