The renowned and decisive battle of Sekigahara took place on this very site in the year 1600. This experience-based facility makes use of all the latest technology to give you a firsthand experience of this historical event. Prepare yourself first for the giant “Ground Vision” screen that allows an overhead view of the East and West camps dividing the whole nation.
Next is the theater where you can see a film offering a powerful recreation of the violent confrontation between the two forces, making you feel that you have accidentally wandered into this historic scene yourself. Experience the Battle of Sekigahara with all of the five senses by visiting the permanent exhibits on the second floor and interacting with the VR attraction, which allows you to experience firsthand man-to-man combat of the sengoku period.
Greeting from the Museum Director
Professor Emeritus of Shizuoka University
Tetsuo Owada
The Battle of Sekigahara is often called the “decisive battle” to decide who would rule Japan. Although the terms “Eastern Army” and “Western Army” weren’t used at the time of the battle, the giant armies with a combined total of over 150,000 soldier led by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the east and Ishida Mitsunari in the west entered into a fierce conflict at Sekigahara, and the ascendancy moved from the Toyotomi to the Tokugawa clan.
This Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial Museum was built on the final encampment site of Ieyasu at the historic battlefield of Sekigahara. Viewing the Ground Vision screen and theater features, you can experience how the battle actually unfolded and through relics related to the battle, such as the Battle of Sekigahara folding screen, you can get inside the minds of the generals who took part in the battle.
There are also explanatory drawings such as force maps and battle formation drawings. We hope that by learning the basics of the Battle of Sekigahara at this museum and by walking around the actual historical sites, you can fully enjoy a Memorial Museum that fully complements the historical sites.
Greeting from the Museum Ambassador
Actor
Keiko Takeshita
Thank you for your visit. I am Keiko Takeshita, an ambassador of the Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial Museum. Sekigahara is a place that where the middle and modern ages come together. It is also the border between the lands and cultures of east and west Japan. It is where roads from the Nakasen-do highway to the northern provinces and the Ise province and the highways dividing north and south converge; it is truly the crossroads of Japan.
A decisive battle took place here around 400 years ago – the Battle of Sekigahara. It was a showdown between east and west, and it raised the curtain on a time of peace that lasted some 260 years. As one magnificent act of history, this battle fascinates us even today in works such as novels and movies.
At the Memorial Museum, one can get inside the minds of the generals by experiencing the battle with a real feeling of presence and through donning the armor and weapons of these warriors. Thinking back to those days against the backdrop of wonderful scenery from the Observation Room, the battle cries and neighs of horses will blow through your ears like a gust of wind.
Sekigahara is also associated with Waterloo and Gettysburg. Protected as one of the world’s three major historical battlefields, this historical site will pass on the preciousness of peace to subsequent generations.
Background behind the completion of the Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial
Based on the “Sekigahara Historic Battlefield Grand Design” drawn up in March 2015, a project to develop a central facility showing visitors the historical sites of the Battle of Sekigahara has been developed.
