Mobilemuseum in NARAHA：Naraha UMUT Collaborative Museum : A Timeline of the Earth and the Town

A Timeline of the Earth and the Town
The Naraha Town History Museum, which was damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake, was renovated and “Naraha UMUT Collaborative Museum : A Timeline of the Earth and the Town" opened in the Naraha Town Community Center on April, 2023. The museum is a collaboration between Naraha Town and the University Museum, the University of Tokyo (UMUT), with exhibits ranging from the birth of the earth to the history of the town. Mobilemuseum in NARAHA extends the function of this new facility to the outside.

Mobilemuseum in NARAHA
A mobilemuseum is a next-generation museum format, meaning a compact museum that moves freely. The compactly packaged display unit transforms public facilities into museums. Mobilemuseum in NARAHA exhibits some of the materials from the collections of UMUT and Naraha Town. We hope that visitors will deepen their interest in "A Timeline of the Earth and the Town," which forms the basis of this small exhibition.

Organizer : Naraha Town
Exhibition organizers : Naraha Town Board of Education, The University Museum, the University of Tokyo　
Concept and design : The University Museum, the University of Tokyo
Project support : The Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework
Opening date: July 20, 2024

Location

A Roadside Station Naraha

B Naraha Sky Arena

C Naraha Town Hall

Exhibition

MM-NARAHA　A05 \| C06 Charonia tritonis Exhinition period : 2026.5.25-9.25 \| 9.25-2027.1 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha \| Naraha Town Hall Extant / Cebu Island, Philippines / Dried specimen / The University Museum, The University of Tokyo Charonia tritonis reaches a shell height of 40-50 cm and is the largest gastropod in Japan. It inhabits coral reefs in tropical regions, preferentially preys on starfish, and is especially well known as a predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish. Since its larvae have a long pelagic period, the species has high dispersal ability and is widely distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific. In Japan, it is found mainly from the Amami Islands southward, reaching its northern limit at the Kii Peninsula. The shell is used for ornaments and musical instruments, and the flesh is edible. Due to overharvesting, its population has declined, and the species is now under protection. (Takenoi Sasaki)
MM-NARAHA　B05 \| A06 Wolframite Exhinition period : 2026.5.25-9.25 \| 9.25-2027.1 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha \| Naraha Town Hall Cretaceous (ca. 100~90 million years ago) / Takatori Mine, Shirosato Town, Higashi Ibaraki District, Ibaraki Prefecture / Mineral specimen / Division of Petrology and Mineral Deposits, University Museum, University of Tokyo The Takatori Mine, located at the southern end of the Abukuma Mountains, was known as one of Japan's leading tungsten and tin producing mines, supporting Japan's modernization from the late Meiji period until its closure in the mid-1980s. The black portions of the exhibited specimen are wolframite ((Fe, Mn) WO4), which is the primary ore of tungsten, and together with the white quartz portions, it was formed in veins through hydrothermal activity. Because wolframite has a specific gravity of 7.0-7.5 (compared to 2.5-3.0 for typical minerals), this specimen weighs nearly 10 kilograms. (Takashi Mikouchi)
MM-NARAHA　C05 \| B06 Ink-Inscribed Pottery Exhibition period : 2026.5.25-9.25 \| 9.25-2027.1 Exhibition location : Naraha Sky Arena \| Roadside Station Naraha Early Heian Period (Late 9th - Early 10th century) / Akakona site, Shimoshigeoka, Naraha Town / Red-burned pottery / Naraha Town Historical Museum From the Akakona ruins, ink-inscribed pottery believed to represent personal or place names, such as "Nakauchi" and "Kouchi," as well as auspicious characters like "Wealth" and "Fortune," have been unearthed. On the outer surface of this material is the inscription "Ide-dera," revealing that the origin of the term "Ide" dates back to the early Heian period. Additionally, the same site yielded materials such as "Kodera" and "Terahotoke," providing supporting evidence for the existence of a temple within the settlement. This is an important resource for examining the spread of Buddhism in the ancient "Naraha-go." (Kazuya Sakamoto)
MM-NARAHA　A03 \| C04 Grossular and epidote Exhinition period : 2025.7.25-2026.1.23 \| 2026.1.23-2026.5.25 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha \| Naraha Town Hall Cretaceous / Hocchioka, Samegawa Village, Higashi Shirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture / Mineral specimen / Division of Mineralogy, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo The Hocchioka Mine, located in Samegawa Village, Higashi Shirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture, once mined wollastonite. It was a skarn deposit formed by thermal metamorphism when granite intruded into limestone. This specimen was collected in November 2002 with permission from the landowner. It displays beautiful crystal faces of grossular garnet and epidote, reaching several centimeters in size. (Takashi Mikouchi)
MM-NARAHA　B03 \| A04 Cylindrical Pottery Exhibition period : 2025.7.25-2026.1.23 \| 2026.1.23-2026.5.25 Exhibition location : Naraha Sky Arena \| Roadside Station Naraha Early Heian Period (Late 9th century) / Akakona site, Shimoshigeoka, Naraha Town / Hajiki pottery / Naraha Town Historical Museum As its name suggests, cylindrical pottery has a cylindrical shape with an almost equal diameter at the top and bottom, and is thought to have been used in the final stage of the salt production process. This material was discovered at the remains of a dwelling, and provides supporting evidence that producing roasted salt was an activity carried out within the village. Furthermore, as the Akakona site is a rare example of a large amount of complete or nearly complete materials being excavated, this material provides important insight into the stage of the Naraha region under the Ritsuryo system, including the issue of identifying the “Naraha-go” in the “Wamyo Ruijyusho”. (Kazuya Sakamoto)
MM-NARAHA　A01 \| B02 Andalusite Exhibition period : 2024.7.20-2025.1.22 \| 2025.1.22-2025.7.25 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha \| Naraha Sky Arena Cretaceous / Mujina Mori, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Pref. / Mineral specimen (Wakabayashi Mineral Collection, WK No. 1880) / Division of Mineralogy, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo Andalusite-bearing pegmatite (a coarse variety of granite). This specimen belongs to the Wakabayashi Mineral Collection, one of the three major Japanese mineral collections. It was collected about 100 years ago near the present Fukushima Airport. Granites are widely distributed in the northern part of the Abukuma Mountains, and pegmatites are famous for being produced in Ishikawa Town and other areas. Metamorphic rocks are distributed in the southeastern part of this area. Akiho Miyashiro (1920-2008) performed a detailed study of them at University of Tokyo which led to the discovery of plate tectonics. (Takashi Mikouchi)
MM-NARAHA　B01 \| A02 Stromatolite Exhinition period : 2024.7.20-2025.1.22 \| 2025.1.22-2025.7.25 Exhibition location : Naraha Sky Arena \| Roadside Station Naraha Precambrian / Ouarzazate, Morocco / Sedimentary structure / Division of Historical Geology and Paleontology, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo Stromatolites are formed as small sediment particles repeatedly accumulate and cement on a mat of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). The surface of the specimen on exhibit shows the growth process as concentric patterns. Cyanobacteria appeared in the Precambrian period and increased the oxygen concentration on Earth through photosynthesis. Stromatolite-forming cyanobacteria once flourished, but their diversity declined with the advent of stromatolite-grazing animals. Today, they are found only in specialized environments, such as those with high salinity. (Takanori Sasaki)

To the toppage of "A Timeline of the Earth and the Town"

MM-NARAHA　A05 \| C06 Charonia tritonis Exhinition period : 2026.5.25-9.25 \| 9.25-2027.1 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha \| Naraha Town Hall Extant / Cebu Island, Philippines / Dried specimen / The University Museum, The University of Tokyo Charonia tritonis reaches a shell height of 40-50 cm and is the largest gastropod in Japan. It inhabits coral reefs in tropical regions, preferentially preys on starfish, and is especially well known as a predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish. Since its larvae have a long pelagic period, the species has high dispersal ability and is widely distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific. In Japan, it is found mainly from the Amami Islands southward, reaching its northern limit at the Kii Peninsula. The shell is used for ornaments and musical instruments, and the flesh is edible. Due to overharvesting, its population has declined, and the species is now under protection. (Takenoi Sasaki)
MM-NARAHA　B05 \| A06 Wolframite Exhinition period : 2026.5.25-9.25 \| 9.25-2027.1 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha \| Naraha Town Hall Cretaceous (ca. 100~90 million years ago) / Takatori Mine, Shirosato Town, Higashi Ibaraki District, Ibaraki Prefecture / Mineral specimen / Division of Petrology and Mineral Deposits, University Museum, University of Tokyo The Takatori Mine, located at the southern end of the Abukuma Mountains, was known as one of Japan's leading tungsten and tin producing mines, supporting Japan's modernization from the late Meiji period until its closure in the mid-1980s. The black portions of the exhibited specimen are wolframite ((Fe, Mn) WO4), which is the primary ore of tungsten, and together with the white quartz portions, it was formed in veins through hydrothermal activity. Because wolframite has a specific gravity of 7.0-7.5 (compared to 2.5-3.0 for typical minerals), this specimen weighs nearly 10 kilograms. (Takashi Mikouchi)
MM-NARAHA　C05 \| B06 Ink-Inscribed Pottery Exhibition period : 2026.5.25-9.25 \| 9.25-2027.1 Exhibition location : Naraha Sky Arena \| Roadside Station Naraha Early Heian Period (Late 9th - Early 10th century) / Akakona site, Shimoshigeoka, Naraha Town / Red-burned pottery / Naraha Town Historical Museum From the Akakona ruins, ink-inscribed pottery believed to represent personal or place names, such as "Nakauchi" and "Kouchi," as well as auspicious characters like "Wealth" and "Fortune," have been unearthed. On the outer surface of this material is the inscription "Ide-dera," revealing that the origin of the term "Ide" dates back to the early Heian period. Additionally, the same site yielded materials such as "Kodera" and "Terahotoke," providing supporting evidence for the existence of a temple within the settlement. This is an important resource for examining the spread of Buddhism in the ancient "Naraha-go." (Kazuya Sakamoto)
MM-NARAHA　A03 \| C04 Grossular and epidote Exhinition period : 2025.7.25-2026.1.23 \| 2026.1.23-2026.5.25 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha \| Naraha Town Hall Cretaceous / Hocchioka, Samegawa Village, Higashi Shirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture / Mineral specimen / Division of Mineralogy, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo The Hocchioka Mine, located in Samegawa Village, Higashi Shirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture, once mined wollastonite. It was a skarn deposit formed by thermal metamorphism when granite intruded into limestone. This specimen was collected in November 2002 with permission from the landowner. It displays beautiful crystal faces of grossular garnet and epidote, reaching several centimeters in size. (Takashi Mikouchi)
MM-NARAHA　B03 \| A04 Cylindrical Pottery Exhibition period : 2025.7.25-2026.1.23 \| 2026.1.23-2026.5.25 Exhibition location : Naraha Sky Arena \| Roadside Station Naraha Early Heian Period (Late 9th century) / Akakona site, Shimoshigeoka, Naraha Town / Hajiki pottery / Naraha Town Historical Museum As its name suggests, cylindrical pottery has a cylindrical shape with an almost equal diameter at the top and bottom, and is thought to have been used in the final stage of the salt production process. This material was discovered at the remains of a dwelling, and provides supporting evidence that producing roasted salt was an activity carried out within the village. Furthermore, as the Akakona site is a rare example of a large amount of complete or nearly complete materials being excavated, this material provides important insight into the stage of the Naraha region under the Ritsuryo system, including the issue of identifying the “Naraha-go” in the “Wamyo Ruijyusho”. (Kazuya Sakamoto)
MM-NARAHA　A01 \| B02 Andalusite Exhibition period : 2024.7.20-2025.1.22 \| 2025.1.22-2025.7.25 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha \| Naraha Sky Arena Cretaceous / Mujina Mori, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Pref. / Mineral specimen (Wakabayashi Mineral Collection, WK No. 1880) / Division of Mineralogy, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo Andalusite-bearing pegmatite (a coarse variety of granite). This specimen belongs to the Wakabayashi Mineral Collection, one of the three major Japanese mineral collections. It was collected about 100 years ago near the present Fukushima Airport. Granites are widely distributed in the northern part of the Abukuma Mountains, and pegmatites are famous for being produced in Ishikawa Town and other areas. Metamorphic rocks are distributed in the southeastern part of this area. Akiho Miyashiro (1920-2008) performed a detailed study of them at University of Tokyo which led to the discovery of plate tectonics. (Takashi Mikouchi)
MM-NARAHA　B01 \| A02 Stromatolite Exhinition period : 2024.7.20-2025.1.22 \| 2025.1.22-2025.7.25 Exhibition location : Naraha Sky Arena \| Roadside Station Naraha Precambrian / Ouarzazate, Morocco / Sedimentary structure / Division of Historical Geology and Paleontology, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo Stromatolites are formed as small sediment particles repeatedly accumulate and cement on a mat of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). The surface of the specimen on exhibit shows the growth process as concentric patterns. Cyanobacteria appeared in the Precambrian period and increased the oxygen concentration on Earth through photosynthesis. Stromatolite-forming cyanobacteria once flourished, but their diversity declined with the advent of stromatolite-grazing animals. Today, they are found only in specialized environments, such as those with high salinity. (Takanori Sasaki)