Sekigahara Battlefield Museum: Relive one of the most important moments in Japan’s history

In 1600, the Sekigahara valley played host to the largest and most important battle in feudal Japanese history, with Tokugawa Ieyasu facing Ishida Mitsunari for control of the country at the end of the Sengoku (warring states) Period. Ieyasu’s victory heralded the end of almost 150 years of civil war and led to establishing the Tokugawa Shogunate, which would rule Japan peacefully until 1868.

Today, Sekigahara is a small town just west of Nagoya, spread out on the battlefield plain between the nearby mountains. While it doesn’t offer much beyond its historical sites, Sekigahara can be a fascinating trip for people interested in samurai, the Sengoku Period, or military history in general.

Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial Museum

Walk through the different banners of clans who joined the battle. Photo: PIXTA/ Tak.Niwa

Completed in 2020, the Battlefield Memorial Museum is a large, modern facility exploring the famous battle’s history and consequences.

The museum does a good job of explaining the lead-up to the battle and the reasons behind Ieyasu and Mitsunari’s feud while displaying letters from historical figures and replicas of armor and weapons used in the battle. The displays feature English descriptions, and free digital audio guides are available in multiple languages for more extensive information.

An experience room allows visitors to handle replica weapons and take photos wearing Sengoku-period clothing. At the same time, a top-floor observatory looks out over the entire battlefield and highlights the key locations.

Finally, visitors can watch an amazing movie that covers the battle with 4D effects to make you feel like you’re in the middle of the fight. You may need to make an advance reservation for the movie on busy days.

Hiking the battlefield

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• External Link
• https://gaijinpot.com/