Facility Introduction
Experience the Spiritual World Nurtured by Tateyama
The Tateyama Museum is a large open-air museum with the theme of “The Interconnection Between Humans and Nature in Tateyama.” Various facilities are scattered across its expansive 13-hectare grounds, including an exhibition hall, local religious facilities, a theater, Mandala Yuen, Nunobashi Bridge, and more.
A Large Area of Approx. 13 Hectares
Tenjikan
(Exhibition Hall)
Paid admission
A core facility of the museum, Tenjikan features a reception area and museum shop with a special exhibition room on the first floor, and permanent exhibition rooms on the second and third floors. The permanent exhibits showcase “The Interconnection Between Humans and Nature in Tateyama.” The special exhibition room hosts two thematic exhibitions about Tateyama annually.
Kyosanbo was one of the 33 temple lodges once located in Ashikuraji and was built during the Edo period (1603–1868) when Tateyama Worship was flourishing. These lodgings uniquely combined the functions of a private home, inn, and temple. Bustling with pilgrims from across the country during the Edo period, their role shifted to private residences from the Meiji era (1868–) onward. This lodge was eventually used as the home of Saeki Muneyoshi, a local businessman and politician who was instrumental in developing the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.
Upon passing through the lodge’s gate, visitors are welcomed by a Japanese garden with stone arrangements and a pond, surrounded by towering Tateyama cedar trees. The garden, changing with the seasons, has continued to soothe visitors’ hearts throughout the ages.
The gallery houses and exhibits valuable modern mountaineering materials, including a mikoshi (portable shrine) and mountain equipment donated by the Kaga clan during the Edo period, as well as mountaineering books, films, and other related materials from the Meiji era onward.
Yobokan
(Theater)
Paid admission
In this facility, visitors can experience the world of Tateyama Mandalas through a large three-screen multi-display and high-quality sound system, creating a vivid and immersive experience.
※Winter exhibits may differ.
Screening Times (Total duration: 40-minutes)
- 10:00
- 11:00
- 13:00
- 14:00
- 15:00
Films: Shin Tateyama Mandala Ezu / Tateyama 1990
Nunobashi (literally nuno for “cloth” and bashi for “bridge”) is named for the white cloth laid across it during bridge-crossing ceremonies in the Edo period. The ”Nunobashi Kanjoe” ceremony was held to guide women, who were believed destined to hell after death, toward rebirth in the Pure Land. The ceremony viewed the river’s banks as “this world” and “the other world,” with the bridge as a means to cross the boundary. Women would symbolically cross to the “other world,” offer prayers, then return to “this world,” symbolizing their rebirth and salvation.
This hill marks the former location of Ubado Hall—a central building, along with Enmado Hall, of Ashikuraji’s Chuguji Temple. The hall once housed three main statues of Ubason (known locally as ‘Onba-sama’), accompanied by 66 additional figures. Ubason is a mother goddess of women’s salvation, with uba meaning ‘elderly woman.’
Learn
More！
Enmado Hall
Enmado Hall, a central religious facility of Ashikuraji, enshrines Enma, the king of hell. The current building was constructed in 1928. Enma was believed to judge the sins of the deceased and decide their fate in the afterlife. During the Nunobashi Kanjoe, prayers were offered at Enmado Hall before crossing the Nunobashi Bridge and completing the ritual at Ubado. After Ubado Hall’s removal, its statues were enshrined in Enmado Hall, which remains an important site of worship today.
Mandala Yuen
(Mandala Park)
Paid admission
Winter closure from December to March
An artistic facility geometrically and abstractly representing the world of Tateyama Mandalas. Composed of four zones—“Hell,” “Path of the Sun,” “Heaven,” and “Path of Darkness”—it offers an experience of Tateyama Worship through art, sound, and light.
Kamoshika-en is a facility established for the protection and breeding of the Japanese serow, a special natural treasure of Japan. In the past, serows from this park were gifted to an overseas zoo, contributing to international goodwill.
A collection of facilities featuring traditional Japanese architecture.
These valuable buildings showcase Japanese wisdom and aesthetic sensibility that evolved in harmony with nature and climate.
Winter closure from December to March
Some areas may be inaccessible from November to April due to seasonal snow protection measures and snowfall accumulation.
