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

Exhibition

Roadside Station Naraha　A03 Grossular and epidote Exhinition period : 2025.7.25- Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha 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)
Naraha Sky Arena　B03 Cylindrical Pottery Exhibition period : 2025.7.25- Exhibition location : Naraha Sky Arena 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)
Roadside Station Naraha　A02 Stromatolite Exhibition period : 2025.1.22-2025.7.25 Exhibition location : 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)
Naraha Sky Arena　B02 Andalusite Exhinition period : 2025.1.22-2025.7.25 Exhibition location : 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)
Roadside Station Naraha　A01 Andalusite Exhibition period : 2024.7.20-2025.1.22 Exhibition location : Roadside Station Naraha 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)
Naraha Sky Arena　B01 Stromatolite Exhinition period : 2024.7.20-2025.1.22 Exhibition location : Naraha Sky Arena 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"