Tsuruga Yama Museum for the conservation of Yama and telling the authenticity of Yama

It opened in 1997, May.

Tsuruga Yama Museum is a museum for the exhibition and conservation of great floats Yama which are used at Kehi Jingu shrine Festival. There are exhibited Yama of Tsuruga in the main building and documents and crafts related to the port town of Tsuruga in the building’s annex -former the Main Office Building of Owda Bank-. 

“ Yama “ means floats that move around the town on special occasions, displaying massive models of humans and animals. The Yama in the Tsuruga Festival is designated as a “Japan Heritage” by the Agency of Cultural Affairs. People participate in the Float festivals wishing for peace for their communities and protection against misfortune.

Yama Festival in Tsuruga has a long history and represents the prosperity of Tsuruga, local people have succeeded it to next-generation with great fervor. It could be argued that the Yama have been in Tsuruga by around the 1500s; Oda Nobunaga possibly has seen the festival in 1575. During WW II, a bomb attacked the city of Tsuruga and burned out a large number of Yama in 1945, July; the festival could not be carried out for some decade after WW II.

 Association for Conservation of Yama in Tsuruga has met since 1979 by needs for a revival of Yama, and three Yamas which have avoided bomb attack were restored completely. In 1994 other three Yamas were also reconstructed: a total of six restored Yamas were perfected as before burning.

Thus Tsuruga Yama Museum was opened for conservation and exhibition Yama: now six Yama are conservated in the backyard of the museum, and three of them are exhibited on the first floor.