Kakunodate Castle Town” were built by Ashina, who ruled this area about 400 years ago. The castle town is divided into an inner town and an outer town. The north side is the inner town where samurai live, and the south side is the outer town where merchants live. On this tour, I take a walk through the “Samurai Residence” in Uchimachi(inner town). This area is registered as a “Traditional Buildings Preservation District” type, Samurai Town. The “Samurai Residence”, which is lined up in an orderly manner over about 700m, retains the remnants of those days. The six samurai residences that are open to the public, I visited two residences, the “Aoyagi residence” and the “Iwahashi residence”.
Access: Approximately 10 minutes on foot from “Kakunodate” station on the JR Akita Shinkansen. Others: Kakukan Historical Village / Aoyagi residence Official Website here. 2014/11/1
Samurai town street: About 10 minutes on foot from Kakunodate Station, Bukeyashiki Street(Smurai town street) is lined with samurai residences.
Samurai residence: The samurai residence is surrounded by a wooden blackboard wall and has a entrance gate.
Iwahashi Residence: Go Into the residence through the Gate.
Iwahashi residence: It’s a typical layout of an intermediate samurai in Kakunodate. Kakudate Samurai Residence Catalog and booklets of each samurai residence that are open to the public are on sale.
Samurai residence street: In spring, the atmosphere is suitable for Michinoku’s Little Kyoto, Samurai residence street where weeping cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
Samurai residence street: The atmosphere is good with the gradation of autumn leaves.
Aoyagi residence: It is open to the public for a fee as “Kakunodate Historical Village / Aoyagi Family”.The appearance is impressive traditional gate and a wooden blackboard wall. In the vast residence of 10,000 square meters, there are a weapon storehouse, Aoyagi-an Museum, Akita Local Museum, etc., and it can see various exhibits.
Aoyagi residence: Entering from the Gate, turning around, the right is a “well house”, which is a former drinking water well with a depth of 5m.
Aoyagi residence: The big building in front is the “Akita Folk Museum” where the Akita(prefecture) local farmhouse was relocated.
Aoyagi residence: At the entrance of the Akita Folk Museum, there is a demonstration and exhibition of cherry blossom skin work, and on the 2nd floor there is a “Sound Preservation Hall” and a “War History Room”.
Aoyagi residence: A traditional craftsman was demonstrating cherry leather work on the first floor.
Aoyagi residence: Sound Preservation Hall.
Aoyagi residence: The sound preservation hall, the gramophone (recorder) using the cylindrical media invented by Thomas Edison, and the old record jacket will delight your eyes.
Aoyagi residence: Kakunodate folk craft shop.
Aoyagi residence: A cafe and accessories shop on the 1st floor of the warehouse-built “Hikara-kan(Old Stylish House) “, and an antique museum is on the 2nd floor.
Aoyagi residence: The antique museum on the second floor of “Hikara-kan”, the clock and gramophone, and the antique camera collection.
Aoyagi residence: The gramophone and morning glory horn are also luxuriously decorated.
Aoyagi residence: After going around the house and returning to the main building, I quickly visited the Aoyagi house for about an hour, left the Yakui Gate and returned to Kakunodate Station.
Kakunodate Station: Take out the luggage in the coin locker at the “Tourist Information Center” in front of the station, and board the Akita Shinkansen “Komachi No. 26” bound for Tokyo start at 15:51.
