Kanazawa Bunko

Kanazawa Bunko, formally the Kanagawa Prefectural Kanazawa-Bunko Museum, is a museum and library located in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, Japan. It preserves and exhibits traditional Japanese and Chinese art objects, many dating from the Kamakura period. Founded in 1275 as a private library, it stood as one of the two most important centers of learning in medieval Japan, alongside Ashikaga Gakko. Today, the institution operates as a prefectural museum that continues to make the cultural heritage of the Hojo clan accessible to the public.

Hōjō Sanetoki (1224-1276), a grandson of the second Kamakura regent Hōjō Yoshitoki, established the library in 1275 by housing his collected Japanese and Chinese books at his residence in Kanazawa, near Kamakura and Edo Bay. After Sanetoki's death, his descendants, including his son Akitoki (1248-1301), grandson Sadaaki (1278-1333), and great-grandson Sadamasa (1302-1333), maintained and expanded the collection, which reportedly exceeded 20,000 volumes and encompassed Buddhist, Confucian, historical, philosophical, medical, literary, and calendrical texts. Following the fall of the Kamakura shogunate and the extinction of the Hōjō clan in 1333, the Shōmyōji temple, which had previously co-managed the holdings, took full custody and moved the collection onto its own grounds. Although spared from fire and political unrest, the collection was gradually dispersed. After 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu removed significant portions, and later Maeda Tsunanori (1643-1724) transferred works to fill his Sonkeikaku Bunko. Post-Meiji Restoration, Tokugawa-acquired works entered the Imperial Household Agency archives and the Cabinet Library, now the National Archives. Removed volumes remain identifiable by the Kanazawa Bunko ownership seal. Reconstruction efforts began in the 1920s, spurred by figures like Itō Hirobumi, leading to a new building in 1930 with imperial support. Initially under the Kanagawa Prefectural Library, it became a prefectural museum in 1955. The current building was completed in 1990, with early modern research on the institution's history guided by its first director, Seki Yasushi, who published his findings in 1951.

The collection centers on traditional Japanese and Chinese art objects and texts from the Kamakura period. Its historical library holdings encompassed Buddhist sutras, Zen writings, Confucian texts, and Japanese and Chinese classics, serving as a publicly accessible cultural resource that attracted visitors from across the country. Today, the museum's library holds 40,000 volumes. The art collection features Kamakura portraits, calligraphy, Buddhist sculptures, and paintings. The institution also preserves ancient books, with 4,149 volumes designated as Important Cultural Properties, alongside works classified as Important Prefectural Cultural Properties.

The museum's designated holdings include National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. National Treals comprise a collection of five Hōjō portraits and a written document collection of 19 items. Important Cultural Properties include three painting collections totaling 29 images, a sculpture group of 22 works, seven craft objects, eight written collections comprising 16 documents, and the aforementioned 4,149 volumes of ancient books. Specific notable artworks include an eleven-headed Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), a Miroku (Maitreya), and a historical map of Japan.

The museum is situated within the precincts of the Shōmyōji temple, though housed in a separate structure. The current building was constructed in 1990 to integrate library and museum functions. The ground floor, covering 1,256 square meters, features an entrance hall, an overview room, a high temple-like room on the right displaying Buddhist sculptures and paintings, and two additional exhibition rooms on the left. The first floor encompasses 760 square meters and contains a large exhibition room alongside the library and a reading room. A basement level of 753 square meters houses a hall and study rooms. A previous building, erected in 1930 in a Japanese-European style, suffered damage during the 1923 Kanto earthquake before being completed.

Kanazawa Bunko is located in Kanazawa-chō, Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, Japan. The institution is operated by Kanagawa Prefecture. It is accessible via the nearby Kanazawa-Bunko Station, a limited express stop on the Keikyu Main Line of Keikyu Railways.