One of the activities that truly made my visit to Sankeien Garden memorable was a short detour at the Former Yanohara Family Residence. This is a gassho-zukiri house relocated from Gifu Prefecture and it’s actually quite interesting. While not as impressive as the Nagase House I visited in Shirakawa-go, I think it’s still worth checking out.
The Formal Yanohara Family House at Sankeien Garden: A Typical Rural Upper-Class Japanese House of the Edo-Period
If you read the second part of my review of Sankeien Garden then you probably have an idea of the Former Yanohara Family Residence and its history(also, please check out my Yokohama 2-day itinerary). It’s a gassho-zukiri house from Shokawa Village near Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture that was relocated here in 1960.
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The building is said to have been built in the late 1800s and is actually well-maintained. Similar to the gassho-zukiri houses that I saw in Shirakawa-go, it makes use of thatch roofing. What makes the house quite unique though (aside from its history) is that despite being a farmer’s residence, it actually has a lot of features you’d find in upper class homes. This area of the house in particular was made in the Shoin style which is typically not something you’d find in a typical Edo-period farmhouse.
The rooms here are actually quite spacious. Just look at this antechamber and how it still has room even with the implements that are placed in it. As you’ll see later, this is pretty much what you can expect from the other rooms in the house.
Prior to entering the Former Yanohara Family Residence, you’ll be greeted with this sign showing the items that you ought to not bring inside. Much like with the Nagase House in Shirakawa-go, guests are not allowed to bring food and drinks, cigarettes, as well as shoes inside of the house. Moreover, cameras (standalone and phone) with flash as well as tripods are also not allowed possibly because these might damage the exhibits/displays inside.
This is the entrance to the house with a glimpse of its genkan (or at least the Edo-period equivalent of a present day genkan). Rather than placing it in here, the getabako (the rack that you can leave your shoes on before entering) is actually placed outside. You can see a glimpse of it on the lower right side of the image above.
This is a traditional Japanese mill for grains (possibly rice or millet) and it’s one of the first things that’ll greet you as you enter the Yanohara Family Residence. This was typically connected to a water wheel or (manually turned) and unmilled rice would then be placed on the recession on top of it. As the top part with the spokes turned, the rice chaff would fall from the side and what’s left inside would be the polished rice.
This is the first room you’ll come across after you get past the entrance. It’s called the Oie and it features an irori (or a traditional Japanese hearth) in its center. Most likely, this is where the family kept warm and/or had their tea. The modern Japanese home equivalent of this would be the living room or washitsu. Notice that this area (which is the part of the home that follows the Family style) is actually lower than the room in the background?
Here’s a guide to the house featuring its rooms. Remember that room in the background of the image prior to this? Well, that’s the entrance (or genkan) to the Shoin-style area of the house. It’s elevated because that’s usually where the Yanohara family, who I just found out after reading this were actually quite affluent, received guests who were of a higher standing (Shogunate officials).
This is a poster with a very detailed history of the Yanohara Family Residence. It talks about the residence’s connection to the Hara family (Hara Sankei was from Gifu, the same prefecture where Shokawa village is) and the circumstances of its relocation. Aside from this, the poster also goes into detail about the large family system, slash-and-burn agriculture, and other cultural and agricultural practices in Gifu during that time.
This is a Hana Mochi and it’s one of the more unique traditions in the Hida region where the Yanohara Family Residence originated from. Locals from that region decorate branches with red and white mochi (rice cakes) which they then form into a bouquet-like arrangement like what you see in the picture. These are typically made during late fall to early winter and are meant as a prayer for next year’s harvest.
While it might seem similar to the Oie we saw earlier, this is actually a different room. This is the Daidokoro and this is where the family cooked their meals and gathered. As you can see in this image, the room has a number of cooking implements like different kinds of nabe and even some ohitsu on top of one of the cabinets.
In this corner, you’ll find the nabe or pots that the family likely used for cooking. There’s also a ladder here that leads to this gassho-zukiri’s attic. Unfortunately, this area of the house was off-limits so I couldn’t check it out.
These are called daidokoro-todana and they literally translate to kitchen sleeves. The ones here look particularly nice albeit they do look dated. This is especially evident when you look at the handles for their shelves. Design-wise, they look pretty simple and my guess is that they really were made for functionality rather than aesthetics.
This is the irori or the hearth of the daidokoro area. This is very similar to the one I saw at the Oie with the most noticeable difference being that there aren’t any tatami mats surrounding it. The irori had a myriad of functions as it not only was used for cooking but it also served as a heat source during the cold winter season.
Behind the ladder leading to the attic were these earthen ware of varying sizes. These were typically used to safely store tea and condiments/ingredients used for cooking. The large one in this picture was mainly used for storing tea leaves which kind of makes sense considering the Hida region has a centuries old tradition of tea cultivation.
Just next to the Daidokoro is the Usunawa or the working and storage room. This is where the family stored a lot of their implements/equipment and maybe even the surplus grains from a bountiful harvest. On the cabinet here, you’ll find buckets for storing rice up on top and lots of waraji down at the bottom shelf.
Opposite the cabinet you’ll find this area that’s closed off. Here you’ll find some of the implements that farmhouses like these would typically have. In this picture, you can see milling equipment, some suribachi and surikogi, and off to the side are some kioke or wooden barrels used to store miso.
This is the wooden covering of the kioke that you saw in the previous image. Like a lot of the stuff you’ll find here, this isn’t being used other than for display purposes. That said, it looks to still be in good condition which means you could probably still ferment and store miso here.
Now this looked like it could have been used to store some treasure when I first came across it. Apparently, it’s just a storage bin for rice called a kome bitsu. Considering how rice was such a valuable commodity back in those days though, I think I was pretty close to guessing its purpose.
This portion of the house is called the mizuya or the water room. It is where the family stored the water they’ll use for household chores as well as for cooking. As for what they used to store the water in, you can actually see it in the middle part of this picture.
This is the mizufune and it’s a traditional Japanese water storage tank that was in popular use prior to the introduction of piped water systems in the country. According to this sign, this particular mizufune was carved out of the trunk of a large beech tree. Like most items displayed here though, this wasn’t originally a part of the Yanohara Family Residence. Rather, it saw use in a flour mill (which was also located in Gifu) first before it got relocated along with the building in the 1960s.
What really makes this mizufune unique is its shape. It was carved from the split half of a beech tree’s trunk to form the shape of a boat/canoe. Unfortunately, this is mostly for display like a lot of the stuff that’s found here.
We’re still in the mizuya and this is the cabinet directly opposite the mizufune. Here you’ll find a set of steamers or seiro and bowls that were probably used for food preparation. Usually made from bamboo, the wooden seiro here hints at the affluence of whoever might have owned it.
Here is a zoomed out view of the cabinet showing varying sizes of seiro, bowls, some buckets, and what seems to be a large geta serving plate on the top shelf.
After seeing the mizuya, I then backtracked and found myself in the choda or master’s bedroom. Here I came across these tansu or chests that were probably of the Ryobiraki kind. These were most definitely used for storing clothing.
Another tansu found in the choda is this nagamochi. Translating to “long trunk” or “long chest” in English, Nagamochi are characterized by their size as well as their long rectangular shape. Much like the Ryobiraki, Nagamochi are also used for storing clothes, armor (in the case of samurai families), and other valuable items the family might have.
This is another display that you’re bound to come across here in the choda. Inside this glass enclosure are Shunkei-nuri lacquerware. According to the sign, these are about 200 years old. When I looked it up, Shunkei-nuri is said to have originated from Gifu (specifically Hida-Takayama) so it’s not surprising to see these displayed here. Whether these were originally part of the house though, I’m not quite sure.
I’ve finally reached the Shoin or formal wing of the Former Yanohara Family Residence and it feels like I’m stepping into another house. As I mentioned earlier, this wing was for receiving Shogunate officials and other upper class guests. To reflect that, its floors are covered by tatami mats and the hallway and rooms look more spacious.
This area here is the genkan for this wing of the house and off to the right side of this picture you can actually see the engawa or veranda. On the floor of the genkan, you’ll find these small ryobiraki. I’m not sure what was placed here though or if they were even originally situated in this area. I will say that they look so much more well-maintained than the ones I found in the farmer’s wing’s choda.
Another thing you’ll notice in the Shoin wing of this residence is the ubiquity of Fusuma and Shoji. Fusuma are the sliding doors you see in this image while shoji are the more latticed window/room divider that use more translucent paper.
This area of the Shoin wing of the residence is called the Okuzashiki or the Inner Formal Room. It has Tokonoma which is the elevated area to the right and if you looked at the map of the house ealier, it’s the farthest room from genkan.
Usually, a kakejiku or kakemono is hung on the wall of the tokonoma and it’s then usually paired with a kazai on the floor. In this instance, only the kazai (flowers arranged in an ikebana style) was available. On the right of the tokonoma is a chigaidana and in its shelves you’d likely come across utensils for the tea ceremony and possibly other decorations.
This is a view of the other formal rooms from the Okuzashiki. The middle room here is called the Nakanoma and the farthest room (with the table) from where I’m standing is called the Hiroma (Formal Room). Each room is accessible through these Fusuma and these can be opened to create a much larger room for large occasions or gatherings.
I initially thought this small “room” in the middle room or Nakanoma was for babies to stay in. Thankfully I referred to the photo of the map I took earlier on my phone and found that this was actually one of the Buddhist altars in this wing of the house. It doesn’t have any statues or really anything that would indicate that it was one likely because those might get easily damaged or inadvertently (maybe even purposefully) taken.
Opposite the Buddhist Altar is this serene view of the outside which features the path going to the Taishunken. It might be tempting, but please don’t exit through here! Kidding aside, I imagine the view from here would be absolutely amazing by spring or summer.
I’m not quite sure what this rack is used for or what’s hanging from them. These are probably charms for good luck though I don’t know if they’re fairly new or if they were also included when the building was relocated. I do know that the room that this is in (the Hiroma) has been used for displaying Hina dolls during Hinamatsuri.
This small room is another of this wing of the house’s Buddhist altars. Much like the other Buddhist altar though, this doesn’t have any statues or indications of its previous function. Instead, it’s become a storage area for various lanterns likely dating back to the Edo period.
Called chochin or andon, these lanterns are actually quite diverse when it comes to designs and even in their sizes.
I was looking up these lanterns and lamps and I found that they either used rapeseed oil for fuel. There were lamps (like the two on the right) though that used candles which were considered much more expensive.
A sign found in the irori in the Oie. This shows the seating assignment that was typically followed in Hida when members of the family were gathered around the irori. From where I was facing the irori, the top seat was reserved for the mother and was called Fujin no seki. The seat to the right of the right was considered the lowest seat and was called the matsuza. As for the seat in the southern direction of the irori, this was reserved for guests and was called the Kyakuza. Finally, the seat to the left of the irori was reserved only for the master of the house and was designated as the Yoko-za or Shujin no Seki.
Here’s a view of the irori in the Oie showing the three seats. One thing that I noticed just as I took the picture is that the area surrounding the irori in this room has tatami mats. This is probably the only area in the farmer’s wing of the residence that is covered by tatami.
This is a weaving machine that you’ll find in the Oie just before you step into the Shoin wing’s genkan. If you read my visit to the Nagase House, you’ll remember that I talked about Hida being a center for sericulture/silkworm farming in the late Edo and early Meiji periods.
Looking back at the pictures I took on my phone, the weaving machine here does look similar to the ones I found at the Nagase House.
Moving outside to the engawa connected to the Oie, I came across this Flat Mill used for making mochi. Hida locals typically ground their rice on this Hirausu first before they pounded them on the suribachi.
The Hirausu looks a lot like the mill that I pictured when I first entered just minus the large recess on top where the rough (unhusked) rice would go. From what I read online, the process of first crushing the rice in the flat mill before it was pounded into mochi is unique to the Hida region.
These are the suribachi (mortar) and surikogi (pestle) that were (and still are in some regions) popularly used in the mochi making process. What makes the surikogi used for making mochi unique is that they are shaped like hammers to make pounding the mochigome easier.
The umaya as its name implies, is a room in the building where the family keeps its horses. I actually just found out about this but apparently, farmhouses like the Former Yanohara Family Residence typically had their horse stables as part of the building. There were stables that were their own buildings called soto-umaya but more often than not, a farmhouse like this would have what’s called an uchi-umaya or inside stable. This specific umaya is located near the entrance (the first door to your right as you enter) of the farmhouse.
While there are obviously no more horses here, you can still see their kura or saddle. This particular saddle has most definitely gone through a lot as evidenced by the wear and tearing on it.
And with that, my short tour of the Former Yanohara Family Residence is done. While this only took more or less 15 minutes in total, I still came out of the house full of knowledge about what a rural upper-class Japanese house was like. I particularly liked the dichotomy of the Shion with the Farmer’s-style wing of the houses. The contrasting styles were really interesting and I actually kind of hoped there was more to see here. I wouldn’t say going inside is a must but if you still have time to spare from your Sankeien Garden visit then I’d recommend checking it out.
