The Adachi City Folk Museum is holding a special cultural heritage research exhibition, “400 Years of Senju-juku.” Approximately 70 items, including a Buddhist statue, will be on display for the first time.
Adachi Ward Press release: October 16, 2025 To Members of the Press The Adachi City Folk Museum is holding a special cultural heritage research exhibition, “400 Years of Senju-juku.” Approximately 70 items, including a Buddhist statue on public display for the first time, will be on display. Starting October 21st, we will be exhibiting artworks passed down through an old family in Senju, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary since the founding of Senju-juku. Many of the works will be on public display for the first time, including the standing statue of the Thousand-Armed Kannon, which is said to be the origin of the place name “Senju,” and a work by Suzuki Kiitsu, a disciple of Rinpa painter Sakai Hōitsu!
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interactions with Edo’s literati, they developed a unique culture. The heads of merchant families used their economic power to support the activities of literati, who devoted themselves to the creation of festival items and hanging scrolls. These art objects, used in everyday life, managed to survive the ravages of earthquakes and war. In recent years, many have been discovered in Senju’s old homes, temples, and shrines, leading experts to call the city of Senju a “treasure trove of beauty and intellect.” This special exhibition will display artworks discovered during the cultural heritage survey that has been underway since 2012, as well as valuable works and documents that speak to the history and culture of Senju. An excerpt is presented below. [First public viewing] Thousand-Armed Kannon Statue (Omaedachi) The Thousand-Armed Kannon statue enshrined as a secret Buddha at Shosenji Temple (2-11 Senju) is said to have been salvaged from the Sumida River in the late Kamakura period, and is said to be the origin of the place name “Senju.” This exhibit features the “Gozentate,” a sacred stone made to be worshipped in place of the deity.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98904/147/98904-147-67f61d9575e07a48286dbfb5a9981a2f-1450×2700.jpg Hikawa Shrine (Senju 4-chome) Float This Edo-style float, built in 1883 (Meiji 16), is characterized by its three-tiered structure. It will be reassembled for the first time in 12 years.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98904/147/98904-147-3eaeb10d50d59c2304035d6c64405558-1795×2700.jpg [First Public Viewing] Suzuki Kiitsu / Fan with Magnolia and Rape Blossoms This fan was hand-painted by Suzuki Kiitsu, the most renowned disciple of Sakai Hōitsu, who popularized the Rinpa school of painting in Edo. Kiitsu had deep ties with the people of Senju and left behind a wide variety of works.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98904/147/98904-147-22ac25e710da4763451105376f7cdf5a-3000×2000.jpg Please refer to the brochure for details. Summary of the Special Exhibition of Cultural Heritage Research “400 Years of Senju-juku” Location Adachi Local Museum (5-20-1 Oyada, Adachi-ku, Tokyo / Phone: 03-3620-9393) Period October 21, 2025 (Tuesday) to January 11, 2026 (Sunday) 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last entry at 4:30 PM) Closed Every Monday (or the following weekday if a public holiday falls on a Monday), New Year’s holiday Admission Fee – 200 yen for adults (high school students and above) – Groups (20 or more) are half price – Junior high school students and younger and those 70 years of age and older are free (please bring proof of age) – Persons with a disability certificate and one caregiver are free Free Opening Days – Second and third Saturdays of every month – November 3rd URL
https://www.city.adachi.tokyo.jp/hakubutsukan/2025senjujuku400th.html 【Simultaneous Exhibition】Senju Machinaka Art Museum (November 1st – 30th) During the same period, an exhibition of art related to Senju (mainly folding screens and reproductions) will be held at nine locations in downtown Senju. In Senju from the Edo period through the Meiji period, people enjoyed seasonal hanging scrolls in their alcoves throughout the year, merchants displayed their prized folding screens and artworks to entertain guests, and art was a part of everyday life in Senju. These scenes will be recreated in various places in Senju that still retain the atmosphere of that time. *Exhibition times vary by location – Lumine Kita-Senju (42-2 Senju Asahi-cho, Adachi-ku) In the restaurant area on the 8th floor, we will be exhibiting Murakoshi Koei’s “Twelve Months of Floral Scenery Folding Screen” (right panel), which was the catalyst for our cultural heritage research. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98904/147/98904-147-5f29d9be0ad77cb7319ca5e41cd8cfe3-3900×2595.png ・Asuka Kitasenju Main Store (27-1 Senju Asahi-cho, Adachi-ku) *Only store customers may view the exhibit ・Cafe Kanmido (4-21-4 Senju, Adachi-ku) *Only store customers may view the exhibit ・Washoku Itagaki (5-6-7 Senju, Adachi Ward) *Only restaurant patrons are permitted to view the exhibit ・Nakamachi House (29-1 Senju Nakamachi, Adachi Ward) ・Central Library (5-13-5 Senju, Adachi Ward, inside Manabi Pier 21) ・Resting Area: Senjugai Station (3-69 Senju, Adachi Ward) ・Senjujuku Historical Petit Terrace (21-11 Senjukawaramachi, Adachi Ward) ・Yokoyama Residence (4-28-1 Senju, Adachi Ward) Please see below for publication dates and times. URL
https://www.city.adachi.tokyo.jp/hakubutsukan/2025senju-matinakatenji.html [Reference] Adachi City Folk Museum Renewal in April 2025 Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/98904/147/98904-147-5420a72d96f7e474e0674964b3ae5826-3900×2600.jpg Opened in 1986, the museum has been beloved by local residents as a “local history museum” primarily displaying folk implements and historical documents. Since the discovery of works by Rinpa painter Murakoshi Koei in the Senju area of Adachi Ward in 2009, the museum has received a steady stream of information on art materials from throughout the ward. In 2012, the 80th anniversary of Adachi Ward’s establishment, the museum began conducting a cultural heritage survey. While visiting historic homes within Adachi Ward, the museum uncovered numerous valuable artworks, as well as records of interactions with Edo-period literati such as Tani Buncho and Sakai Hōitsu. Experts involved in the survey have come to describe Adachi as “a treasure trove of beauty and intellect.” As valuable artworks continued to be discovered, a major renovation was decided upon to better store and exhibit these precious materials. After a two-year and four-month renovation period, on April 26, 2025, the museum was reborn as a rare “art museum” in Japan, combining the elements of a “museum” capable of permanently exhibiting artworks. URL
https://www.city.adachi.tokyo.jp/hakubutsukan/index.html Press release attachments