Satsuma Denshokan

Located within the grounds of the Japanese inn Ibusuki Hakusuikan in Ibusuki City, Kagoshima Prefecture, this museum has been awarded one star in the Michelin Green Guide. Its concept, “Visit here and you’ll understand Satsuma,” is brought to life through a collection of around 3,000 items gathered over two generations—the founder of Hakusuikan and his son, the current owner. From this vast collection, about 380 pieces are on display at any given time.

The museum is divided into four exhibition halls:
・Kinran-no-Ma, adorned with 10,000 sheets of gold leaf covering its walls
・Ishin-no-Ma, showcasing lavish Satsuma ware kinrande (gold-decorated ceramics)
・Satsuma-no-Ma, focusing on great historical figures such as Saigo Takamori
・Mingama-no-Ma, featuring works by painters of the Satsuma art school

The building itself is modeled after the Byodoin Phoenix Hall in Uji, Kyoto. Flanked by side wings and surrounded by ponds that reflect the architecture like a water mirror, it boasts a tiled roof, intricate latticework, and kumiko woodcraft details. In the garden, you can also admire wisteria transplanted from the World Heritage–listed Byodoin.

In addition, the museum houses a restaurant themed around local production and consumption, as well as a museum shop offering Satsuma ceramics and original goods.