Nasu Museum

[US-Subs]

I don't remember if I've posted anything on this or not - don't see anything on a search, so..... I was searching for a photo on a Japanese CW piece for one of our members earlier today and opened some files I have not looked at in a while. Thought I would share a few pictures.

As background, a number of years ago I was doing some research on Japanese explosive ordnance. I had plenty of informal support from my workplace and a number of organizations that I was working with, so I took full advantage of every opportunity while travelling on business to stop by any museum that might have a Japanese piece of ordnance I could photograph. It turns out that there is not all that much out there, and much that you see is the same pieces over and over, but with perseverance you can find some hidden gems. Japanese collections were the most difficult, usually due to cultural issues related to WWII. In example the best military museum in the country (Peace Museum) is Yushukan, and once you get past the entryway no photography is allowed. It takes a lot of dealing to get anything done -

Nasu Museum is a hard to reach location several hours away from Tokyo. Once you get there you are not sure if it is a museum or a junkyard. Items are poorly kept, many in terrible condition. Overgrown, crowded, covered in dust. The owner does not allow you to open cabinets for photos, nor clean off the glass. Nevertheless, some very interesting items, ranging from tanks to ship anchors to aircraft. Not much ordnance, but some interesting pieces. A mix of old and new, different countries and timelines. There are some rare items, and some unusual to find there. See what you can spot.

You can read more about this museum and others through this link, it was one of my resources for locating several collections. http://members.shaw.ca/nambuworld2/militarymuseums.htm

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[Weasel]

Hi Subs,
Thank you very much for taking these pictures and posting them up for us to see. I love this "local" type of museum where you can get up close to things.
Best regards Weasel.

[hicky1300]

Bit of an `in your face` collection!

[US-Subs]

A curious part for me was that all items were said to have come from within Japan, that he (the owner) did not go looking outside of the country or hunting as most of us do. This seems fairly logical until you get to the last photo, with what appears to be a 25lb Cooper bomb (next to a super rare Japanese 150mm mortar).

[Alpini]

I like the little coast mortar on photo no. 8

[US-Subs]

I also liked the Japanese marked 3.5-inch rocket.

[dano1917]

That is my type of museum that I like. I just abhor the museums where you are afraid to get up close and personal with displays. I always feel "more at home" with displays that you are not afraid to get close to displays. Not sure if
I am descriptive enough but hope you get the picture. Veterans War Memorial in St. Louis MO is such a place. There are separate rooms for WW1 WW11 and all other conflicts, but the displays are open and almost interactive, a place where a man is not afraid to fart (so to speak). Well what can I say - my kind of place. I really like the aeroplane displayed in the wild in an open structure, has an inviting look to it. Guess I am babbling on so I am outta here...............Dano

[sksvlad]

So all of this is privately owned? I had an impression that tanks etc were a "no no" in Japan.