Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial Museum

One of the most dramatic moments in Japanese history, the Battle of Sekigahara changed the destiny of a whole nation and has passed into legend. Here at the Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Memorial Museum, that battle is brought to life through innovative displays, activities, and a fascinating exhibition.

Located just a few steps from the site of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Final Encampment on the day of the battle, the museum boasts a sleek, modern exterior, with white, patterned walls resembling the canvas tent curtains of a samurai war camp, known as a jinmaku.

From the lobby, visitors first make their way along a winding corridor with atmospheric light displays, setting a reflective mood while leading into the first attraction, called Ground Vision.

Here, a brief presentation on a screen set into the floor takes us through the lead-up to the battle and the events of the battle itself. Edited with the snappy pace of a political thriller, the attraction gives visitors the basic facts, introduces the key players, and perfectly sets the scene for the epic confrontation to come.

After the Ground Vision, visitors are led between two standing suits of armor into the Theater, with rows of cinema seats facing an ultrawide, semicircular screen.

An emmesrive, nine-minute audiovisual animated presentation complete with the sounds of clashing armies, the vibration of the battlefield under your feet, and simulated wind against your face is interwoven with snippets of dialogue from the various warlords that reveal their tactics and strategies as the battle unfolds.

The second floor houses three Exhibition Rooms, where visitors come face-to-face with warlords from both sides of the battle in the form of stylised reconstructions of the armor they wore on the field. Other highlights include representations of the battle in historical paintings and scrolls, beautifully preserved weapons, and items excavated from the surrounding area.

Sharing the second floor with the Exhibition Rooms is the Sengoku Experience Corner, adding variety to the learning experience with the chance to handle weapons and other battlefield tools, take pictures as if you were in the battle, and find out about the lifestyle of a typical Warring States-era footsoldier through easy-to-understand displays.

After taking in the wide range of exhibits, it’s time to move on to the fifth-floor Observation Room, which offers a spectacular, near-360-degree panorama of the modern-day Sekigahara and its surrounding landscape. From this vantage point, visitors can easily pick out some of the key locations on the battlefield, and the sheer scale of the epic battle is revealed.