ABOUT
About this spot
Brief Messages from the Heart Museum (Ippitsu Keijo Nihon-ichi Mijikai Tegami no Yakata) is in Maruoka, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture. It presents the winning entries of the Ippitsu Keijo Prize, a contest for very short letters, and opened on August 23, 2015. It stands close to Maruoka Castle, so it is easy to combine with a walk through the castle town. The prize takes its name from a short letter that Honda Shigetsugu, a warrior of the Edo period nicknamed "Oni Sakuza", is said to have sent to his wife from the battlefield. It begins with the words "Ippitsu keijo, hi no yojin" (a brief word: beware of fire). Using it as a model, a contest on the theme of "mother" began in 1993 to revive the culture of letter writing, and the Sumitomo Group has sponsored it since 1994. The museum has a permanent exhibition room that shows past winning entries and introduces them in video, a special exhibition room whose displays change from time to time, and an old-castle room with a video about Sakai City. A cafe called Fumi no Niwa is also inside. Because each work is only a few lines long, you can read many of them at your own pace, and families and student groups can talk about their favorites as they go. Plan about 30 minutes to an hour for a visit. The exhibits are indoors, so the weather does not matter. Next door is Sakai City Maruoka Library, which holds the Nakano Shigeharu Memorial Collection. Maruoka Castle is only about 290 m away. Check the latest opening days before you go, as the museum closes between exhibitions.
Last updated October 24, 2026