Cannabis Museum (Japan)

The Cannabis Museum (Japanese: 大麻博物館, Hepburn: Taima Hakubutsukan) is a private museum located in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Founded in December 2001 by Japanese hemp rights advocate Junichi Takayasu, it is the sole museum devoted to the history and cultivation of cannabis in Japan.

Cannabis Museum
大麻博物館 (Taima Hakubutsukan)
EstablishedDecember 2001 (2001-12)
LocationNasu, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates37°1′17.4″N 140°1′43.32″E
TypePrivate
FounderJunichi Takayasu
Public transit access Kuroiso Station
Websitetaimahak.jp

History

The Cannabis Museum was founded by Junichi Takayasu, noted by The Japan Times as "one of Japan’s leading experts on cannabis".[1] Takayasu developed an interest in the cultivation of hemp from books he read as a child in which ninjas trained by jumping over cannabis plants.[1][2] The museum, which operates out of a log house in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture,[3] opened in December 2001 as an institution focused on the history of cannabis in Japan.[4] It is the sole museum in Japan dedicated to cannabis,[1] and is particularly focused on the history of cannabis in Tochigi; the prefecture is both historically and presently a significant producer of hemp, and as of 2007, cultivates approximately 90 percent of Japan's commercial hemp.[5]

Exhibits and collections

The museum is broadly focused on the history of cannabis and its related agriculture and technology; the preservation of historical hemp-related artifacts; and public education on the practical uses of hemp.[6][7] As cannabis remains illegal in Japan for personal and medicinal use[lower-alpha 1] and strong social stigmas remain attached to cannabis,[4][8] the museum seeks to raise awareness of both the benefits of hemp and the differences between hemp and marijuana.[7]

Items in the museum's collection include 17th century woodblock prints of women spinning hemp fibres, historical photographs of hemp farmers, and a working loom used to demonstrate hemp weaving.[9] The museum also contains an interactive exhibit focused on the quality of hemp textiles, where visitors can compare the softness of hemp to other fabrics such as linen.[4] Tours of Tochigi's legal hemp farms are also offered.[3]

Transportation access

The Cannabis Museum is located off of the Nasu interchange on the Tōhoku Expressway. It is served by the Nasu Yumoto bus line, which connects to Kuroiso Station operated JR East.[10]

See also
  • Tochigishiro, a hemp strain cultivated in Tochigi Prefecture

Notes
  1. Licenses for the cultivation of hemp for use as fabrics and as seeds for consumption are granted by some local governments in Japan; hemp products are also legal for import.[5]

References
  1. Mitchell, Jon (13 December 2015). "Cannabis: The Fabric of Japan". The Japan Times. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  2. "この人 このテーマ）高安淳一さん 大麻の生産、栃木が全国一だったんですね". Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, Tochigi Prefecture. 4 December 2016.
  3. "Reefer gladness: A brief history of hemp in Japan". Okinawa Stripes. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  4. "大麻博物館館長 大麻繊維研究家". Funai Media (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  5. Hongo, Jun (11 December 2007). "Hemp OK as rope, not as dope". The Japan Times. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  6. Mahoney, Luke (25 June 2020). "Does hemp have a home in Japan?". Japan Today. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  7. "大麻博物館館長 高安淳一氏 『日本の文化として受け継がれてきた日本古来の「大麻」』". Iyashinomura. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  8. Takenaka, Kiyoshi (7 July 2016). "Japan party backs use of medical marijuana, gets mixed reaction". Reuters. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  9. Mitchell, Jon (2014). "The Secret History of Cannabis in Japan". The Asia-Pacific Journal. 12 (39).
  10. "アクセス". Cannabis Museum (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 December 2020.
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