“Should a collection center for the Sakawa region’s fossils, which are the pride of Sakawa, be established in Sakawa, it would also serve as an institution to advertise Sakawa to the world.” Dr. Makino, a famous Japanese botanist, proposed the establishment of a fossil museum in Sakawa in a letter dated 1952. Fossils have long been known to be found in Sakawa, with ammonite fossils discovered at Kaisekiyama as early as 1848. Dr. Heinrich Edmund Naumann, who first visited Sakawa town in 1883, left behind a hanging scroll that reads, "und was von seltsamen Tieren Am grunde des meeres geruht. Wind wieder emporgehoben zum Leuchtenden sonnenlicht. Dann lassen sich Menschen nieder." (what strange animals rest at the bottom of the sea. Wind lifted again to the shining sunlight. Then people settle down). The Sakawa Geology Museum, which opened in 1992, is the result of such historical continuity since the Edo period, with Dr. Makino also involved.

Therefore, starting this year, the Geology Museum will also open free of charge during the Makino Birthday Festival. Please take this opportunity to view Dr. Naumann’s hanging scroll, Dr. Makino’s letter, and the fossils that are the pride of Sakawa.