Honjo-Waseda no Mori Museum

This is a tourist information center located in the Honjō Station of JR Takasaki Line. Pamphlets related to tourism and information regarding the city can be obtained, along with Honjō City’s souvenir. In addition, there are sweets and Japanese goods recommended by the Honjō City Tourism Association along with Honjō’s Kasuri.

The warehouse made of bricks built in 1896 was used for the storage of cocoons and silk, supporting the silk industry and economy of Honjō. It is designated as a nationally registered tangible cultural property.

Built in 1984 by Kimura Kuzō, a company that put in their utmost effort to improve the technique of sericulture and is designated as a cultural property of Saitama Prefecture. It is a modernization inheritance (Silk Industry Heritage) where the sericulture of the time can be learnt.

Here you can see the only castanet-playing haniwa (clay figurine) and dancing female haniwa (clay figurine) found in Japan! In addition to the many earthenware and stone tools on display, the life of Kiku Nishizaki, the first female seaplane pilot in Japan, who is a great historical figure of Kamisato and the main character in an NHK TV series, is also introduced.

This is a memorial house for Hanawa Hokiichi, a blind Japanese classical scholar who lived in the mid-Edo period. Apart from the famous collective title Gunsho Ruijyū and its raw lumber, there are approximately 200 archives on display inside the building. Furthermore, you can see a hand-stitched purse from his mother that he kept dear during his lifetime and many other personal articles. There is also a section within the exhibition for videos and audio tours.