# Tamba-Sasayama History Museum

> Sasayama's old courthouse, built in 1891 and used until 1981, now a museum of armour, swords and guns from the domain, with the wooden courtroom kept as it was. ¥500.

- Prefecture: Hyogo
- Type: Museum
- Address: Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo, Japan
- Opening hours: Tue–Sun 09:00–17:00
- Closed: Closed on Mondays (on Tuesday when Monday is a public holiday) and from 25 December to 1 January.
- Hours note: 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30.
- Admission: 500 yen
- Official site: https://withsasayama.jp/history-museum/
- Hours and fees checked against the official site: 2026-11-05

The museum is in the Sasayama courthouse, built in 1891 and used as a court until 1981; the city describes it as the oldest wooden courthouse building in Japan. It opened as a museum in 1982. One courtroom is kept with its benches, bar and judges' desks. The galleries show armour, helmets, swords and firearms connected with the Sasayama domain and the Aoyama lords, among them a carbine imported from the Netherlands at the end of the Edo period and a sabre that belonged to Aoyama Tadashige, the last lord of Sasayama. The building itself, with its tiled roof, deep porch and long verandas, is worth the visit. Special exhibitions change through the year and can cost more than the usual ticket. The museum is on the east side of the castle town, about 10 minutes on foot from the castle; the nearest bus stop is Kasuga-jinja-mae.

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Source: [Tamba-Sasayama History Museum — Japan Voyage](https://travel.japanvoyage.jp/travel_destinations/tamba-sasayama-history-museum)
Last updated: 2026-11-05