Erected in the Meiji Period (1868-1912) as the Matsumoto Branch Court of Nagano District Court. This is the only wooden court building remaining in Japan. Exhibits include:
- Information and displays of trials in three different periods: the period before the Meiji Restoration of 1867, the period under the Meiji Constitution from 1889 to 1947, and the period that followed.
- Equipment used by Police etc. That includes many of the famed Ninja Stars for you Martial arts fanatics.
In the outdoor exhibit area behind the courthouse, you can see:
- The house where advocator of democratic rights, Naoe Kinoshita (1869-1937), was born
- A prison block of an older era.
- An old hut in which poor Silk factory girls once lived and Silk factory equipment.
The Museum is located beside the Ukiyo-e (woodblock print) Museum, so see them both at once.
Recommendation: If you find this museum interesting and are travelling in the region, you Must visit the Takayama Jinya (District Administrative Office)! It is a really well preserved large and original site with buildings and warehouses dating back hundreds of years along with that equipment necessary to extract the correct answers from uncooperative felons.