The Shinto Village Earring Museum is a municipal history museum in Shinto Village, Kitagunma District, Gunma Prefecture. It is a rare specialized museum devoted entirely to earrings and other ear ornaments. Its collections range from earrings dating back to the Jōmon period of prehistoric Japan to examples gathered from cultures around the world, allowing visitors to explore the history and cultural significance of personal adornment across different times and regions.
One of the museum’s most distinctive features is its focus on earrings as a way of exploring the history and culture of humanity. Around 1,000 earrings are displayed, including Jōmon-period clay earrings designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The intricate designs and extraordinary variety of the exhibits offer fascinating insights into how people have expressed identity, beliefs, and aesthetics through jewelry.
The permanent exhibition is organized around the theme of “People and Earrings”, tracing the development of earring culture from the Jōmon period to the modern era. The exhibition is divided into three main sections: Contemporary, History, and Jōmon. Each introduces earrings from a different perspective.
The Jōmon section focuses on clay earrings designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, which were excavated from the Kayano Site. Their intricate patterns and three-dimensional decorations demonstrate the impressive craftsmanship and artistic sensibilities of the Jōmon people.
Dioramas, videos, and geological samples are also used to explain the archaeological discoveries at the Kayano Site. Together with exhibits of pottery, stone tools, clay figurines, stone rods, and other artifacts, these displays help visitors gain a deeper understanding of Jōmon life and beliefs.
The History section traces the development of earrings while introducing the cultural background behind their use. Timelines and historical materials explain changes in earring styles and customs, including the development of earrings in Western cultures and personal ornaments from Japan’s Kofun period.
Among the exhibits are historically valuable examples such as gold earrings from the ancient Near East and earrings dating from the 1st and 2nd centuries during the Roman era. Visitors can also see elegant earrings created during Europe’s Victorian period, providing a glimpse into changing fashions and ideas of beauty throughout history.
The Contemporary section features earrings collected from countries and cultures around the world. The exhibits demonstrate an extraordinary variety of materials, including gold, silver, enamel, glass, and seeds.
Many of the earrings reflect distinctive ethnic traditions and local customs. Through these diverse objects, visitors can discover how jewelry can reveal the history, beliefs, lifestyles, and aesthetic values of different cultures.
The Shinto Village Earring Museum is more than a place to view archaeological artifacts. Visitors can also experience aspects of Jōmon culture through a range of hands-on activities involving traditional crafts and personal ornaments.
Visitors can try on clothing inspired by the costumes of the Jōmon period. Participants can also wear replicas of clay and stone earrings, pendants made from boar and bear teeth, and ornaments made from obsidian, experiencing what ancient Jōmon-style adornment may have looked like. Photography is permitted, making this a fun activity for families and visitors interested in ancient Japanese culture.
Visitors can make a traditional magatama, a curved ancient Japanese ornament, by shaping and polishing a piece of stone. The finished bead can be threaded onto a cord and taken home as a necklace or strap, making it a memorable travel souvenir.
The activity takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes and offers an opportunity to enjoy a hands-on craft inspired by ancient Japanese personal ornaments.
This activity involves connecting colorful wooden beads to create an original necklace. Taking approximately 30 minutes, it is particularly accessible for young children and families.
Visitors can decorate a piece of white tuff, the same type of stone used by the Jōmon people for objects known as rock tablets, and turn it into an original good-luck pendant. It is a creative way to learn about Jōmon culture while making a unique piece of jewelry.
Angin weaving is an ancient textile technique that has roots in the Jōmon period. Plant fibers were traditionally woven together to make fabric. In this workshop, visitors use hemp cord to create a coaster based on this ancient weaving method.
The creation of the Shinto Village Earring Museum is closely connected with the discovery of the Kayano Site. This archaeological site was a settlement dating from the Late to Final Jōmon period, preserving evidence of human life from approximately 2,500 to 3,000 years ago.
The site was discovered in 1989 during a preliminary archaeological survey conducted in connection with agricultural land improvements. Excavations uncovered pit dwellings, graves, water-related facilities, and numerous artifacts, including Jōmon pottery and stone tools.
Among the discoveries, one of the most remarkable was the enormous collection of 577 clay earrings. Many are known as plug-shaped earrings, with disc-shaped or cylindrical forms. Their clay bodies feature delicate patterns and elaborate three-dimensional decorations.
The beauty and sheer number of these earrings have made them important archaeological evidence for understanding the sophisticated aesthetic sense and cultural practices of the Jōmon people.
Other artifacts connected with religious and ritual practices were also discovered, including clay figurines, stone rods, rock tablets, magatama beads, and hand-lamp-shaped clay objects. These discoveries have made the Kayano Site an important resource for understanding the spiritual culture of the Jōmon period, and the site has been designated a National Historic Site of Japan.
The Jōmon people established settlements in a region surrounded by rich natural landscapes, with views toward Mount Haruna and Mount Akagi. They are believed to have made use of areas around natural springs and water sources while practicing a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, processing nuts and other wild plant resources.
Within this natural environment, people created beautiful earrings and wore them as part of their personal appearance. Earrings were likely more than simple decorative objects. They may have played roles connected with rituals, social identity, cultural symbolism, or personal status.
A visit to the Shinto Village Earring Museum offers an opportunity to discover the richness of Jōmon life and culture through objects that have survived for thousands of years.
The Shinto Village Earring Museum is located in Shinto Village, Kitagunma District, Gunma Prefecture.
By car, it takes approximately 20 minutes from JR Shibukawa Station and around 15 minutes from the Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange on the Kan-Etsu Expressway. The museum is also approximately 10 minutes from the Komayose Smart Interchange.
By public transportation, visitors can take a bus from JR Takasaki Station. The journey takes approximately 55 minutes. Get off at Shinto Village Office, followed by a walk of approximately 20 minutes.
The Shinto Village Earring Museum is a cultural attraction where visitors can experience Jōmon history not only through exhibitions, but also through hands-on activities and traditional crafts. Its extensive collection of artifacts from the Kayano Site provides valuable insight into the lives, beliefs, and spiritual culture of people who lived in Japan thousands of years ago.
The nearby Kayano Site, also designated as a National Historic Site, offers another opportunity to experience the landscape where Jōmon people once lived. Surrounded by the natural scenery of Shinto Village, with views toward Mount Haruna and Mount Akagi, the area provides a memorable combination of archaeology, history, and nature.
The Shinto Village Earring Museum is an engaging destination for visitors interested in archaeology and history, as well as families and travelers looking for an unusual cultural experience. Through earrings from Japan and around the world, the museum reveals the remarkable diversity of human culture and the enduring appeal of personal adornment across time and borders.