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Innoshima Suigunjo

MurakamiInnoshimasea lordsShimanami Kaidomaritime history

Hiroshima · Onomichi

34.3284°N, 133.1659°E

The Murakami were not pirates in the sense the English word implies. They controlled the passages of the central Inland Sea from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, levied tolls, piloted ships through currents nobody else could read, and fought for whichever side they chose. Innoshima was the base of one of the three Murakami houses.

The museum here is built as a castle, which the Murakami did not have in this form, and that is worth knowing going in. What it holds is real: documents, armour and weapons from the family, alongside displays on how the tolls and pilotage worked. It sits above the island with a view over the water they controlled. It costs ¥330, closes on Thursdays, and is a short detour off the Shimanami Kaido.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

9:30 AM – 5:00 PM | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM on 2–3 January

Closed: Closed Thursdays except public holidays | Closed 29 December – 1 January

Entrance Fee

¥330 adults | ¥160 elementary and junior high school students

Best Season

Year-round | Spring for cherry blossom on the hill

Visit Duration

60 minutes

Getting There

Access Information

Innoshima-Nakanosho-cho 3228-2, Onomichi, on Innoshima. About 2 km by car from Innoshima-Kita IC on the Nishiseto Expressway via Prefectural Route 367 and Route 317 toward Nakanosho; from the Ehime direction, leave at Innoshima-Minami IC. Open 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM, and 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM on 2–3 January. Closed Thursdays except public holidays, and 29 December – 1 January. Admission ¥330 for adults and ¥160 for elementary and junior high school students. Phone 0845-24-0936.

Insider Guide

Premium

**The building is not historic.** It was built as a museum in castle form. The Murakami documents, armour and weapons inside are the genuine material. **Closed Thursdays.** Except public holidays. It is a small municipal museum and the rest day is strictly kept. **They were toll collectors and pilots.** The Murakami sold safe passage through currents that wrecked ships without local knowledge. Calling them pirates undersells a functioning maritime authority. **Three Murakami houses.** Innoshima, Noshima and Kurushima. This one covers the Innoshima branch; the Noshima material is across the water in Ehime. **It is a short detour off Shimanami.** Two kilometres from the interchange, which puts it within reach of a cycling day without derailing it.

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