Kaga-Honda Museum 加賀本多博物館

Armor, swords, and artifacts from a powerful samurai family

The Kaga-Honda Museum contains a wealth of historical artifacts from the Honda family, the richest samurai family of the Kaga domain (present-day Ishikawa and around). The museum’s collection includes helmets, katana swords, and horse armor. Visit for an insight into the samurai lifestyle and the grandeur of the Honda family.

The Hondas were among the chief retainers to the Maeda family, the lords of the domain. The massive revenues of the Kaga domain meant the Honda family was actually wealthier than some lords of other domains. The Hondas had their own retainers who lived in a huge area of Kanazawa that has been likened to a castle town within a castle town. The Honda family played an important political role within the Kaga domain due to their high status.

The museum is housed in a former military arsenal built of red brick. It is connected to the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of History of History in Honda no Mori Park.