Daimyo Clock Museum


The Daimyo Clock Museum is a small community-run museum in Yanaka 2-chōme, Tokyo. The museum was established in 1972 to display Japanese clocks from the Edo period collected by Sakujiro Kamiguchi. It is the only museum in Japan exhibiting Japanese clocks.

Origin of the Museum collection

Sakujiro Kamiguchi owned a highly-unusual log cabin shop which sold western clothing. The shop became known locally as "Grotesque", and this was the origin of Kamiguchi's nickname, "Guro". Kamiguchi had many interests, including pottery. He first became interested in Japanese clocks when he came across an English-made watch with an attached sundial in a local shop. Kamiguchi realised the unique cultural importance of daimyo clocks:
In 1951, Kamuguchi established the Kamiguchi Japanese Clock Preservation Society, and gifted his collection to it. After his death in 1970, his son Hitoshi Kamiguchi became President of the Society and opened the museum in April 1972.

Exhibits

Daimyōs were the feudal aristocracy of Japan in the Edo period and they were the only people who could afford expensive timepieces. The museum displays mechanical clocks, sundials and incense clocks previously owned by daimyo families. There are around 50 pieces on display from the collection's total of some 200 items, in a single 83 square metre room. The museum's labels are all in Japanese only, though an English-language pamphlet explaining the traditional Japanese timekeeping system is also available.

Access

The nearest metro station is Nezu on the Chiyoda line. The nearest Japan Rail station is Nippori.