A Natural History You Can Hold on Your Palm

At a Glance

The Nawa Insect Museum (名和昆虫博物館) stands at the base of Gifu Castle in Gifu Park. Opened in 1919, it is Japan's oldest museum dedicated to insects and is still run by descendants of its founder, the entomologist Nawa Yasushi (1857–1926)—a living academic institution more than a display.

A Century of Family Curation

Nawa was a leading Meiji-era entomologist who identified the rice-damaging lacewing in 1896 and taught for decades at the Gifu Agricultural School. He opened the museum in 1919 to share his research. The Taisho-era two-storey wooden building is itself a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Glass cases, wooden stairs, and century-old labels preserve the feel of a Meiji-to-Taisho cabinet of natural history—the museum itself is an exhibit.

Must-See Holdings

• Luehdorfia japonica — the Gifu Butterfly that Nawa first scientifically described; the city's official butterfly.
• About 300,000 specimens worldwide, with ~12,000 on permanent display—look for the Hercules beetles and morpho butterflies.
• Nawa's field notebooks and hand-drawn sketches, a primary source for late-Meiji entomology.
• Live insect corner, with stag beetles, silkworm moths, or Hercules larvae depending on the season.

Visiting Tips

The museum is beside the Gifu Castle ropeway base station, so it pairs well with a castle visit for a half-day. An hour is enough unless you are with young kids. Take a 15-minute bus from JR Gifu Station. Admission is around ¥700 (see official site). For a special experience, come at the end of March through early April when the Gifu Butterfly actually flies in the park.