Kyoto City Heiankyo Sousei-kan

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A Heian city model to marvel at in 1/1000 scale, one of the biggest scale models in Japan

Reproducing the entire capital of 1200 years ago

This is where visitors can truly experience the ancient Heian capital. The museum has utilized its fieldwork material to create models of various scenes of Heian life, such as Buraku-den Palace used for ceremonies, seasonal banquets and visits by foreign envoys as well as state banquets, the Toba Detached Palace (associated with Emperor Shirakawa and Emperor Toba) and Hosshoji Temple. In conjunction with these, the museum also exhibits excavation artifacts as well as representative costumes of the period in the lady’s clothing corner, which both give visitors a good idea of how people lived and what their customs were like, the games played back then, such as shell matching, and the everyday clothes worn by the Heian aristocracy. Furthermore, the museum also displays a ceramic tile picture paying homage to the folding screen “Rakuchu Rakugai-zu” (National Treasure) and a superb model reproduction of the burnt-out city in the post Onin-Bunmei War days, enabling visitors to get a glimpse of mediaeval Kyoto.
The museum is part of Kyoto ASNY (Kyoto City Life-long Education Center) and is built on the site of an ancient official Office of Sake Brewing, the remains of which can be viewed in front of the entrance when visiting the museum.