The Nagase House is probably one of the coolest traditional Japanese houses that I’ve ever had the pleasure of entering. I was here around the same time I visited the Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine (as part of my Kanazawa 3-day itinerary) and I will say, I didn’t expect it to be brimming with so much history and culture. It honestly felt like stepping into another world when I was inside of the house.
Inside the Nagase House in Shirakawago: A Well Preserved Traditional Japanese House
Like the Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine, the Nagase House is also found in Ogi-machi in Shirakawa-go. Here is a sign with an inscription detailing the history of the house. Built in 1890 by Nagase Minosuke, the wood used for the house came from cypress trees that are said to have been 200-500 years old at the time of construction.
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Knowing how old the Nagase House is, I must say, it does look like its age. From this vantage point, I can see that the house looks like it’s well maintained. That said, what really stands out for me is the roof. It looks really tall, imposing, and not to mention it’s quite different from the houses that I’ve seen on this trip so far. Apparently, the house is one of the finest examples of the Gassho-zukuri style of architecture.
Now at the front door of the Nagase House. The sign above this postal box details the house’s opening hours as well as the admission fees for adults (JPY400) and children (JPY200). If you’re in a group of 20 or more then you can get JPY50 off on the regular per person fee.
Another view of the Nagase house’s front door. I was actually expecting the shoji sliding door here to have paper but I think I understand why the caretakers here would opt for glass. Considering the weather and the age of the building, going with glass here was definitely the right decision.
After going through the shoji, I was greeted with this sign in the house’s genkan. For those unfamiliar with Japanese houses, the genkan is the area (usually the porch or entryway) where you leave your shoes before you get inside of the house. This house’s genkan has a sign that specifically discourages visitors from leaving on their shoes when they enter.
If you want to see the house’s interiors, you’ll need to first leave your shoes here in this getabako or shoe rack. It wasn’t a problem when I was there but you might want to take a picture of your shoes on the rack (or remember what number you placed it on) if you’re with a large group.
Still on the first floor of the Nagase House when I saw this display featuring some pottery and incense burners. I’m not quite sure if these were made here in Ogi-machi/Shirakawa or brought here from elsewhere. The incense burners in the bottom were really what stood out to me as their designs looked very intricate.
Here are some posters and memorabilia relating to Shirakawa-go. The donation box on the bottom is, I think, for the Shirakawa-go World Heritage Site Gassho Style Preservation Trust. As for the red plushie, it’s called a sarubobo and it’s actually an amulet that’s said to bring good luck, fertility, and also can ward off evil. It’s pretty popular in the Hida region which Shirakawa is a part of.
Now this is an interesting picture. So I learned that this was taken in 2001 when the house had to be re-roofed. Apparently there’s also a video of this used for a documentary talking about the practice of “yui”. Basically, villagers formed these groups called “yui” for replacing the roofs on Gassho-zukuri houses. For the Nagase House, around 500 of the villagers volunteered and if I remember correctly, they needed four trucks with 10 tons worth of thatch plant each for the re-roofing.
A picture of the Nagase House during the snow-melting season. I just realized this now but the house actually is quite large. That said, it’s kind of understandable why the house looks so impressive in hindsight. While not a samurai family, the Nagase were still connected to the ruling Maeda clan as their doctors.
I’m not too sure about this display and what the dolls might be referencing. It looks like the one on the right might be a doll of Benzaiten’s white snake while I have no idea what the one on the right even is supposed to be. I will say though that these probably are valuable considering the “Do Not Touch” sign on the table where they’re displayed.
So here’s another interesting set of pottery on display. This is still on the first floor of the Nagase house. I’m not certain if these are as old (or maybe even older) than the house though. What I do know is that they actually look like they’re well maintained and could even still be usable.
So these are likely the implements and pottery used by the Nagase family doctors. The boxes below are a dead giveaway as to the family’s status. Called isho-dansu or kusuri-dansu, these boxes are typically used by apothecaries/doctors to store their medicines and powders. One box also has a mitsu tomoe symbol on it which typically is associated with Shinto shrines for the worship of Hachiman.
Another set of pottery and a smaller kusuri-dansho. Now that I think about it, could the pottery here have been used for when the Nagase physicians were treating the Maeda?
Here’s one of the things that the Nagase House is known for, its butsudan. According to some sources I found on the internet, this altar is said to be 500 years old. Not sure if this is true or not but I can say that it does look beautiful (especially the statue of Amitabha Buddha). Lining the walls on top are most probably pictures of the deceased members of the Nagase family.
While I’m not sure what these pottery were used for, I do think their designs are really impressive. Moreover, it seems that they are somewhat important as the caretakers have included a “Do not touch” sign near them.
Now this is interesting. These are likely three of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology. The rightmost is likely Fukurokuju who is the god of longevity and wealth. The middle statue I’m pretty sure is Daikokuten who is also a god of wealth as well as prosperity and abundance. Finally, the leftmost statue is likely Ebisu who is typically depicted with a fishing rod and fish to signify his being the patron god of fishermen.
I know the earlier pictures make it seem like the house is small and cramped but I swear, it’s actually quite spacious. Case in point would be this photo. This room in particular is so spacious that it needs two heaters.
This is another cool (not in the literal sense of course) room that I came across on the house’s first floor. It doesn’t look like there’s much going on here but it does have this irori or traditional sunken hearth. In the olden days, the irori served as the source of heating for the whole house especially during the winter seasons.
A closeup shot of the irori. I actually didn’t know this until now, but the irori also indirectly contributes to the house’s longevity. The heat it generates dries the timbers in the house which then protects it from rot. The smoke, which contains tar, also permeates the beams making them insect repellent and adds waterproofing to the thatched roofs.
Currently on the second floor facing the stairs that lead to the third floor of the house. What’s interesting about the second floor is that it’s where the servants’ quarters are supposed to be and the ceiling here is actually quite low. I’m not quite sure if this is true but it’s said that this is intentional as servants should never raise their heads above that of their masters.
I’m now on the third floor and this is where you can start to see and even touch the house’s rafters and battens. Unlike more modern architectural styles, Gassho-zukuri style houses typically don’t use a separate material for insulation. Instead, the thatch roof serves as an insulator. Additionally, the thatch as well as the rafters and battens are all attached without the use of a single nail.
I read that the Hida region became a center for silk-making sometime during the Meiji era so it’s kind of understandable that the Nagase would also have their own sericulture operation. The second and third floors in particular were said to have been used for raising silkworms.
This is the stairs leading to the next floor. Notice how there’s a lot more head room here compared to the picture of the second floor earlier? Since the upper floors were work areas, it probably made a lot more sense to not limit worker’s movements.
I’ve now set foot in the upper floor area. It’s pretty similar to the second floor with most of the displays here being large farm implements and tools. Also, as I stated in a previous picture, this area used to be a part of the house’s sericulture operations.
This is a view of the stairs leading up to the third floor from the second floor. In the prior picture I talked about the floor also having farm implements and tools similar to the ones you’ll find here. Well, here are those farm implements (mostly pickaxes and hoes). They’re not as large as the ones on the upper floor but they’re still pretty interesting (at least for me). For some reason, I found the pack saddle or kura and the frame that it’s sitting on is especially creepy.
These are likely some of the cooking ware used by the house’s workers while they were up here in these floors. The kamado as well as some of the pots are likely sitting on top of this floor’s irori. You’ll also find some lunch boxes as well as an ohitsu for storing cooked rice.
So remember when I said that the Nagase house ran a sericulture operation? These are the equipment they used for processing the silk. If I’m not mistaken, this is what’s called an itomaki and it’s mainly used for hand reeling the silk from the silkworm cocoons (this looks similar to the ones inside the Formal Yanohara Family House at the Sankeien Garden in Yokohama).
Aside from processing silk, the house also has farm implements and tools for processing rice. The largest tool in this picture is the tengu no hako. It is a traditional Japanese tool for separating the chaff from rice. Surrounding it are usu and kine (mortar and pestle used for producing mochi) of varying sizes.
This section has what looks to be smaller saddles likely for use on horses. Then on the thatch roofing, there are straw hats called kasa with inscriptions on them.
Another set of itomaki on the fifth floor. These seem to be far older than the ones earlier (which you could still see off to the right) with designs that are far more straightforward.
Other than the itomaki, the fifth floor also has these mino or Japanese traditional raincoats. These are typically made of straw and were worn over the farmer’s clothes to serve as protection against the weather (rain, snow, and sun). Completing the farmer’s attire is the kasa or straw hat which you’ll also find hanging together with the mino.
So apparently the tools pictured here were used for making candles. If I’m not mistaken, Hida (which Shirakawa and Ogimachi are part of) is known for its candle making industry. The region produces Hida candles which are known for being able to withstand breezes, is able to burn slowly, and has minimal smoke.
In this area are more recent tools/equipment (at least relative to the others) for making ropes. I wonder if these were the very same rope making machines used to come up with the shimenawa in the Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine that I also visited here in Ogimachi?
A closer look at the farm implements in this floor of the Nagase House. These are probably plows or harrows used to till the land in the area for rice planting. Also hanging from the ceiling are waraji (to the left of and behind the farmer’s overcoat) or Japanese straw sandals.
Another view of the cooking area I talked about earlier. There is a smaller kamado here as well as the usu and kine from the other picture that I took (the one with the tengu no hako).
I managed to get close enough to get this pic of the carpentry tools on this floor. I’m guessing these were probably used for the maintenance of the house or for building farm implements. I certainly don’t think they’d be able to use hammers, axes, or saws for harvesting crops.
This is a loom that’s used mainly to weave the straw rope into straw matting. I might be wrong but this then gets processed further to komo or maybe even tatami. This ensures that pretty much every byproduct of the rice farming process here (from the rice to the straw) could be used.
And that ends my visit to the Nagase House in Shirakawa-go. I must say, this was a decidedly unique and enjoyable experience. The whole visit was relatively quick but I had plenty of pictures taken just because the house held so many interesting relics from the past (and even some that are relatively new). I was already familiar with the life of the Japanese nobility thanks to the castles and shrines that I’d visited during this trip so learning of how regular people lived during the Meiji and Edo periods was kind of a refreshing palate cleanser (for lack of a better term). I’d definitely recommend visiting the Nagase House if you do happen to find yourself in Shirakawa-go. It’s pretty affordable and you get to learn a lot about Japanese architecture, history, and culture.
