Yamanashi Gem Museum
山梨宝石博物館
Museum by Lake Kawaguchi with more than 2,000 gemstones from around the world, shown as rough, cut stones and jewellery, and a 1.8 m quartz crystal.
Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Closed on Wednesdays, except public holidays, Golden Week and July and August. For New Year opening, check the official calendar.
〒 401-0301How to get there
河口湖Fujikyuko Line17 min walk from the station
The Yamanashi Gem Museum is a museum of gemstones by Lake Kawaguchi in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi. It shows more than 2,000 stones from the main gem-producing regions of the world, from rough crystals to finished jewellery.
History
Yamanashi has long been known for rock crystal. Crystal is said to have been found around Mount Kinpu in about 1500, and the craft of polishing it took root in Kofu, where crystal balls, seals and magatama (勾玉), comma-shaped beads, were made from it. After the Second World War local workshops turned these skills to jewellery. Today about a quarter of the jewellery made in Japan comes from Yamanashi.
The museum was founded by Okuyama Shiro (奥山四郎) and opened in 1975 in the Takeda district of Kofu. It moved to Fujikawaguchiko in 2007. Its pieces were collected at gem sources around the world in the years soon after the war.
The collection
About 50 major gemstones are each shown three ways: as rough, as a cut stone and set in jewellery. At the back of the hall stands a single quartz crystal from Brazil, 1.8 m tall and weighing 1,270 kg. Works by master craftsmen include stones cut by the German gem cutter Munsteiner and crystal carvings by the Yamanashi carver Takuma Shoichi (宅間正一).
Among the rare minerals are Japan-law twins, pairs of quartz crystals joined at a fixed angle, from the Otome mine (乙女鉱山) in Yamanashi, a source known for them worldwide. A sceptre quartz from Madagascar has amethyst grown on clear quartz.
Getting There
Planning a trip? Fit this into a trip and Oni plans the rest around it.
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