The museum first opened in the former town of
Hiwa, now
merged into the city of
Shōbara, in 1951, as the . Initially located on the premises of Hiwa Junior School, the Museum became a
museum-equivalent facility and then a registered museum in 1952. In 1956, it relocated to the premises of the Prefectural Shōbara Vocational High School, Hiwa Branch; then, after deregistration in 1958, in 1962 to the premises of the Hiwa Chūō Kōminkan. In 1989, with the demolition of the public hall, the Museum temporarily closed its doors while work began on the construction of a new dedicated facility. In March 1990, construction work was completed; the Museum reopened as the in September of the same year. A "Discovery Room" and storage facility was added to the complex in 2001, and in 2005 the Museum again became a
registered museum. In 2005, with the
merger of Hiwa into the expanded city of Shōbara, the Museum officially became the . In 2012, the earth sciences and geology annex opened. ==Publications==