Exhibitions in Japanese Culture Gallery of Hoi An

The Japanese Culture Gallery is within a well-preserved old house. It’s restored and well furnished in 2 hours before opening to visitors. This house has brick walls, a wooden frame, and two storeys, each storey with three compartments. Its façade looks pretty similar to Phung Hung Old House next door. Both make awesome ‘twin’ houses. Due to influences from Japanese architecture, it does not have too many decorations and wood carvings.

In the middle walkway on the ground floor, there is a model of omikoshi, a Japanese portable shrine or holy religious palanquin that was a gift from special Japan ambassador Sugi Ryotaro to Vietnam in 1998. It served as a vehicle to transport the deity of a Shinto shrine to another, or the new one. It resembles a mini temple, including a worshipping building, roof, gate, fence, and pillars. This kind of palanquin was first used around the 8th century (Nara period) when Hachiman, commonly known as Shinto god of war, was carried from Kyushu to Nara. Kyushu is seen as the birthplace of omikachi by that.

To the left, it’s needed to show ‘Hoi An Old Town ticket’ to continue visiting the gallery.

Visitors will see a space of Japanese tea ceremony (known as sado/chado), in the covered courtyard. Here, it’s possible to sit on floor cushions and have some photos. Traditional Japanese costumes are available for rent.

In the nearby room, visitors can read explanation about the red seal system in Japan, the role of Nagasaki as the main base of Shuinshen (red seal ships), the painting of Chaya merchant family about the journey to Jaozhi (the way Japanese people called Vietnam in the past), the marriage between Vietnamese princess Ngoc Hoa and Japanese merchant Araki Sotaro (from Nagasaki), and the project of building a model of Shuinshen (red seal ship) at Hoi An. The painting is especially chosen to feature the trade history of Japan and Vietnam many times. In Hoi An, visitors can catch it again in Museum of Trade Ceramics or Museum of History and Culture.

In the next compartment, Japanese costumes and origami, traditional art of paper folding in Japan. To the left, there are lots of paper cranes with different colors. The story behind them is about Sadako Sasaki (1943-1955), a Japanese girl who was a victim of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. She made more than 1,000 origami cranes before her death, to wish good health. At age of 12, she passed away when just had folded 644 cranes, and later, her classmates made the remaining 356 cranes to complete for her. Today, her story has still inspired so many people and the crane becomes a symbol of peace.

Upstairs, there is information about ‘Hidden Christian sites in the Nagasaki Region’, a Unesco world heritage site inscribed in 2018, is provided. ‘Hidden christians’ are the modern term for catholics who hid and kept their faith in secret during the Christianity persecution in Japan in the 1600s. In Nagasaki, hidden christian communists lived along the coast or remote islands. The prohibition was lifted officially in 1873, making it the longest in Asia. If you are interested in the history of Christianity in Hoi An, we recommend reading Hoi An Catholic Church and Shrine of Our Lady of Tra Kieu.

Not far away, visitors will see an altar to worship ancestors of house’s owners, handicrafts of Japanese people, pictures and swords of samurai who were male solders serving as retainers to lords in feudal Japan from 12nd to later 19th centuries, and makeup table of geisha who were female performing artists and entertainers, firstly seen in 18th century.

Additionally, pictures and information about Sugi Ryotaro (man), the special ambassador of Vietnam and Japan, who contributed significantly to friendship between Japan and Vietnam. His real name is Yamada Katsuhiro. He is a famous Japanese singer and actor who was borned in a poor family in Kobe, Japan. To pursue his dreams, he did more than 14 different jobs to pay for his education at Tokyo city as well as support his parents. In 1989, Sugi Ryotaro visited Vietnam for the first time, and was impressed by how local people overcame difficulties after the war. In 1991, he founded an association to promote cultural exchanges between two countries. After that, Japanese language centers, schools, hospitals, and so on adopted 4 Vietnamese childs. In 2008, he was officially appointed to be special ambassador of Vietnam, and the one of Japan. In his life, he received many medals and awards from the governments of both states.

From the balcony of the upper storey, the view to the street below, the Japanese Bridge, and the town is awesome. Like the neighbouring and famous house, Phung Hung Old House, many tourists like having a photo here (those who hold cameras or phones will stand on the street below).