Hachinohe City Korekawa Jomon Museum is a cultural and archaeological museum located in Korekawa, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture. The museum introduces visitors to the history, lifestyle, technology, and spiritual culture of the Jomon period, one of the longest prehistoric periods in Japanese history.
Among the museum’s most important treasures is the National Treasure known as the “Gassho Dogu,” a clay figurine depicted with its hands held together as if in prayer. Alongside this remarkable figure, visitors can see numerous archaeological discoveries from the Korekawa Site and Kazahari 1 Site, including pottery, lacquerware, wooden objects, stone tools, and bone implements.
For international visitors, Korekawa Jomon Museum offers an opportunity not only to learn about ancient Japan but also to consider how people thousands of years ago understood nature, life, community, and spirituality.
Korekawa Jomon Museum displays a large collection of artifacts excavated from the Korekawa Site, the Kazahari 1 Site, and other archaeological sites in Hachinohe. Through these objects, the museum explains the everyday lives and cultural practices of people who lived in the region during the Jomon period.
The museum also serves as an important center for the research, preservation, and investigation of buried cultural properties. In addition to its role as a tourist attraction, it has considerable academic importance as a facility dedicated to archaeological research and the preservation of Hachinohe’s cultural heritage.
The main museum building opened on July 10, 2011. It operates in cooperation with the former Hachinohe Jomon Learning Center, which is now used as a branch facility.
The architecture incorporates imagery inspired by Jomon pit dwellings and the black and red colors of traditional lacquer. Inside, a large atrium creates an open and spacious environment from which visitors can look across the museum interior.
The history behind Korekawa Jomon Museum is closely connected with decades of work by local residents and researchers.
Excavations at the Korekawa Nakai Site began in 1920 through the efforts of local brothers Iwayajiro and Ayaichiro Izumiyama. Numerous important artifacts were subsequently discovered, revealing the sophisticated culture that flourished in the Hachinohe area during the Jomon period.
In 1957, the Korekawa Stone Age Site received designation as a nationally protected historic site. In 1962, some of the artifacts discovered there were designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan.
The establishment of the Korekawa Archaeological Museum in 1963 and the opening of the Hachinohe Historical and Folklore Museum in 1975 further strengthened efforts to preserve and introduce the area’s history.
In the 1990s, plans were developed to create a comprehensive cultural area known as the Korekawa Jomon Village. Construction of the present museum began in 2008, eventually leading to the opening of Korekawa Jomon Museum in 2011.
The museum therefore represents the culmination of many years of archaeological research and community efforts to preserve the region’s heritage for future generations.
The most famous object in the museum is undoubtedly the Gassho Dogu, which was designated a National Treasure in 2009.
Discovered at the Kazahari 1 Site, this Jomon-period clay figurine is characterized by its distinctive posture, with both hands brought together in front of the body as if praying. The figure is thought to express ideas associated with life, prayer, and spirituality.
Its mysterious and deeply expressive appearance provides a fascinating glimpse into the beliefs of people who lived thousands of years ago. For many visitors, seeing the Gassho Dogu in person is the highlight of a visit to the museum.
The Korekawa Site has yielded a remarkable collection of Jomon lacquerware and wooden objects. These artifacts demonstrate that Jomon communities possessed sophisticated craftsmanship and a highly developed understanding of materials.
The striking red and black lacquer surfaces are particularly impressive. Although many of these objects were made for practical purposes, their careful construction and decoration also reveal a strong sense of beauty and artistic expression.
The museum also displays numerous pottery vessels, stone tools, and bone and antler implements. Together, these objects help visitors understand how Jomon people obtained food, prepared meals, made tools, and organized their everyday lives.
The permanent exhibition on the second floor includes the “Jomon Lifestyle Theater,” where visitors can learn about Jomon life through audiovisual presentations.
The museum also offers hands-on activities on Sundays, including fire-making and Jomon pottery-making. These programs allow visitors to experience some of the techniques used by prehistoric communities and are particularly enjoyable for families with children.
By combining archaeological artifacts with films and hands-on experiences, the museum makes the distant Jomon period easier to understand for visitors of all ages.
The museum building itself is also worth seeing. Its architecture incorporates motifs associated with Jomon culture, creating a distinctive appearance that combines references to ancient traditions with modern architecture.
The interior includes an open atrium that gives the building a spacious atmosphere. Visitors can also use the museum shop, café area, and library reading area, making it possible to spend additional time exploring the history and culture introduced by the museum.
The Jomon period lasted for more than 10,000 years, making it an exceptionally long chapter in the history of prehistoric Japan. The culture that developed around Korekawa in Hachinohe is considered particularly sophisticated, as demonstrated by the area’s finely crafted pottery, lacquerware, wooden objects, and clay figurines.
The Gassho Dogu and other Jomon figurines, including the distinctive Shakoki Dogu style, provide clues to the spiritual world of these ancient communities. Their forms suggest that Jomon people had complex ideas about life, nature, fertility, prayer, and the relationship between humans and the natural world.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Jomon culture is that these communities lived closely connected to their environment. Rather than simply viewing the Jomon period as a distant prehistoric era, visitors can use the museum’s exhibits to consider themes that remain relevant today, including respect for nature and the value of human life.
The museum’s collection includes the National Treasure Gassho Dogu as well as numerous Important Cultural Properties excavated from the Korekawa and Kazahari 1 Sites.
More than 1,000 excavated artifacts, including pottery, wooden objects, lacquerware, and stone tools, are preserved and displayed. Each artifact provides another piece of the story of the Jomon people who lived in the Hachinohe region.
For visitors interested in archaeology, the collection is especially valuable because it demonstrates not only what Jomon people used but also the remarkable level of craftsmanship they achieved.
Visitors can also find a distinctive local souvenir inspired by the museum’s most famous treasure: Hachinohe Monogatari National Treasure Gassho Dogu Ningyo-yaki.
This traditional-style cake is shaped after the praying posture of the Gassho Dogu and contains a simple filling made with purple sweet potato and walnuts. It offers a fun and approachable way to take a little piece of Hachinohe’s Jomon heritage home after a visit.
By car, the museum is approximately 10 minutes from Hachinohe Interchange on the Hachinohe Expressway.
By public transportation, visitors can take a Nanbu Bus bound for Korekawa Jomon Museum from the East Exit of Hachinohe Station, served by the Tohoku Shinkansen and JR Hachinohe Line. Get off at the final stop, Korekawa Jomon Museum.
Visitors traveling around central Hachinohe can also use the Ruruppu Hachinohe community loop bus, making the museum convenient to combine with other sightseeing destinations in the city.
Hachinohe City Korekawa Jomon Museum is an important cultural institution where visitors can discover the technology, daily life, art, and spirituality of the Jomon people.
The National Treasure Gassho Dogu is the museum’s most celebrated treasure, but the extensive collection of lacquerware, wooden objects, pottery, stone tools, and other archaeological discoveries provides an equally fascinating picture of prehistoric life.
The museum’s films and hands-on programs make the experience accessible to visitors who may have little prior knowledge of Japanese prehistory. For international travelers, it is an especially valuable opportunity to discover a side of Japan that predates castles, samurai, and written history by thousands of years.
When visiting Hachinohe, be sure to include Korekawa Jomon Museum in your itinerary and take the opportunity to encounter the remarkable world of Jomon culture through some of the country’s most important archaeological treasures.