In my opinion, a visit to Kanazawa really won’t be complete if you’re not spending time at the Nomura Family Samurai House. I was fortunate enough to have had time to visit the place.
Visiting Nomura Samurai House Kanazawa: Nature and History in Preserved One Place
I arrived at the Nomura Family Samurai House quite early in the morning and I must say the place looks amazing. The gates looked imposing yet inviting at the same time. Apparently these gates are called a Nagayamon or Oyashikimon and they typically indicate the social status of the owners. The Nomura Family were considered one of the most affluent and influential in their heyday so it kind of makes sense their gate looks as grand as it does.
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This sign was prominently displayed on one of the doors of the gate and from what I understood, is a short history of the Nomura family. It talks about Toshiie Maeda entering Kanazawa Castle and how he rewarded his retainer Nomura Denbei with a 1000 tsubo residence in this area.
After appreciating the gate and entering the residence, I was then greeted with this sight. This is the front of the house and you could still see what seems like yukitsuri on some of the trees in the garden.
Using Google Lens, I was able to translate the sign and it basically says “Nomura Family, 1200 koku stipend of the Kaga Clan”. The 1200 koku apparently denoted the wealth and status of the family. During the Edo period, samurai families were given rice stipends measured in koku (approximately 150 kilograms for 1 koku) by their lords as reward for their service. I read that 1200 at that time was considered a lot and placed them squarely in what could be the equivalent of the middle-class for samurai in those days.
Here we have the business hours and admission fees for the residence. I must say, the admission was pretty reasonable relative to other paid activities and facilities that I’ve been to in Japan.
Much like with any modern Japanese home, you’re not allowed to bring in your shoes inside of the Nomura Family Samurai House.
Again we have signage for the residence’s business hours and admission fees. If you’re interested, you can also buy postcards (examples above the signage) with a set of 5 only costing you JPY300.
Aside from shoes, slippers are also not allowed. Ditto for large bags and umbrellas. A ban on food is also understandable as leftovers might attract insects and other critters. I’d imagine there might also be some food waste and stains that could be a hassle to clean.
One of the first things I saw upon entering the house was this armor set. Upon checking the description, I was surprised to find that it belonged to Nomura Denbei himself. This means that the armor is several hundreds of years old at this point!
The armor definitely looks like it’s old but it still surprisingly looks intact and maybe even functional? There are signs of wear and tear though but considering how old it is, I’d be surprised if there weren’t any.
I initially thought that this was a poster for a separate museum tour but apparently this is an on-going event here (the residence also has a museum area).
After asking around, I was informed that this was the genealogy chart of the Nomura Family. I’m not sure about the names though and a search on Google didn’t really bring up much information. If your Japanese is decent though then you probably won’t have a hard time understanding the kanji.
Now these threw me for a loop as I really had no idea what they were. Then I saw the picture of the shoji (sliding door) and realized that they were probably hikite door handles. Moreover, these were probably some of the door handles that were used on the house over the years.
I’ve now reached what seems to be the house’s reception area. I’m not entirely sure to be honest but since most reception rooms feature tokonoma (the alcove with the hanging Chinese calligraphy on it) then there’s a high probability that this is one.
Outside of the reception area is this tsubo niwa which has an oribe lantern and again some yukitsuri. The indoor garden might seem like it’s not doing well but considering it’s still the winter season, it’s probably okay if it looks like it does right now.
The next room that I visited is called the washitsu. Here we can find the Nomura Family’s butsudan. Now I’ve seen people call this a kami dana but if you look closely, there’s actually a statue of the Buddha smack dab in the center. Then if you look to the right of the altar, there’s an artwork depicting the Buddhist monk Xuanzang or Genjo Sanzo.
Here’s a much closer look of the altar featuring the Buddha statue in the center. What really struck me though was the detail that went into the craftsmanship of this altar. If I were to guess, this probably cost a fortune to commission.
I’ve now reached the Jyodan-no-ma chamber. This is the room reserved for the lord of the household and was where they’d usually receive their guests or conduct their meetings.
This was honestly one of the most impressive kimonos that I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. Apparently this is called an uchikake and is worn only during formal occasions or by brides during their weddings. It’s really something that you need to see up close to appreciate. The designs which I assume (I might be wrong) are of the vermillion bird look absolutely stunning in their detail and color.
After a short toilet break, I then decided to check out the residence’s museum.
This is the entrance to the Onikawa bunko or archive/museum. I must say, the columns here look absolutely impressive and I’d definitely come back just to check out the preserved heirlooms on display here again.
One thing I noticed with a lot of Japanese attractions is that they usually have stamping areas or they try to incorporate stamps into the activities they offer their guests. I remember visiting the Naritasan Shinsho-ji and they offered this Goshuincho that tourists can then use to collect stamps from each of the temple complex’s attractions.
What’s a samurai house without a katana? When I was younger I always thought that swords were called samurai in Japanese. It was only when I got older that I found out samurai were the warriors and the swords they carried were the katana.
Anyway, the katana collection here certainly looked impressive and they seemed like they were still in good condition. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re still sharp.
Samurai were also said to be great horsemen. I’m not sure though if these silver-inlaid stirrups were ever used for battle or if it was used for ceremonial functions/events.
Something that I only ever realized while visiting the Nomura Family Samurai House is that tobacco has been around in Japan since the Edo period. Here is a kiseru (Japanese metal pipe) and this was thought to be a derivative of the pipes the European’s used.
The second hanging scroll that I saw here in the residence. Instead of Chinese calligraphy though, it featured Nanga or Bunjinga style art. I’m not too sure who the artist is but this art style was said to be popular during the Edo period.
This was another cool item that I saw in the archives. The description says that it’s a lacquer ware inkstone with a box that features pine tree designs.
All this time I thought bento boxes were fairly new inventions. It turns out, jubako like this have been around since the mid-Edo period! This particular box is from that time and much like a lot of the other mementos in this residence, it looks so well preserved (just like the buildings in Higashi Chaya District).
This one is an Edo-period handwarmer and it looks absolutely cool. I compared this to pictures of other handwarmers from that era that I found online and this definitely had the most detailed and cleanest design.
A Kutani Shoza pot that, as the description says, was made by Kutani Shoza himself. This style of pottery became popular in the late Edo period which coincides with the Nomura eventual end as a samurai family in the late 1800s.
Made during the Meiji period, this vase was made by Mizuno Genroku VIII. Compared to the other items, this was likely acquired in the early 1900s. If you look closely, the inlay shows a depiction of the Ho-ou or the Japanese phoenix.
Other than the katana that I talked about earlier, the residence’s archives also have this naginata on display. Naginata are a kind of japanese polearm that was mostly used by foot soldiers and the onna-musha (female warriors hailing from the noble class).
Moving on from the weapons, I decided to check out these letters addressed to members of the Nomura family. The letter on the left is addressed to Nomura Jo-Schichirobe and was written by Jube-joh. As for the letter on the right, it’s addressed to Nomura Shichirogoro and was from a daimyo named Yoshikage Asakura who lived sometime during the Sengoku era.
Another correspondence this time addressed to Nomura Kakunojo. This English description wasn’t too clear (or maybe I just need to get glasses now?) so I wasn’t able to make out what it says unfortunately.
According to the English description, this is a map of the placement of feudal lords. If we’re going to rely on the Japanese text, the map reflects the placement during the late Edo period (specifically 1823).
Essentially the same map from earlier. This one though comes from what is called the Atlas of Eternal Peace. I used a translation app and it shows that text on the right says “A New Exploration of the Ancient Changes of Our Country”.
Speaking of changes, this diagram perfectly shows how Japan’s coins have changed during the Edo period. The right-most coin is an ichi-ryo koban while the top left coins are called Hyoryo Kahei/Mametaigin/Chogin. Unlike the koban, these were in silver. As for the coins on the bottom left, these were called Tenpo Tsuho and the value of each was 100 Mon.
The coins at the center and top left are called nibukin and ichibukin respectively. These coins were in circulation in the Edo period and as their name implied, were made of gold. As for the coin in the lower left, it’s called an ichibugin and unlike the other two mentioned here, is made of silver.
Top center are nishukin coins which are made of gold and was in circulation during the early parts of the Edo period. As for the coins in the middle, these are called isshu kin and much like the coins above it, the kin in its name is meant to signify gold. Finally, the coins in the bottom middle are called isshu gin with gin denoting that it’s made of silver.
The oldest coins in the list are these Kanei Tsuho. The top most coins are larger and are pegged at 4 mon per coin. On the other hand, the smaller coins at the bottom are valued at 1 mon each. The bundles each have 250 coins. In my research, I found out that these were the first coins that went into circulation after the reforms made by the Tokugawa shogunate when it came to power in the Edo period.
After that interesting tour of the archives, I then decided to go for a change of pace. I read that the residence had a tea room and a stunning garden so I went ahead and managed to find the latter first.
Coincidentally, I also found a sign that pointed to where the tea room is!
Before I went to the tea room though, I had to soak in the view of this garden. While not as impressive as those that I found at Naritasan park, the yukitsuri does have the advantage in looking a lot more aesthetic.
Aside from the yukitsuri, the garden also has oribe lanterns as well as a pond with some large koi in it (just like the pond in Oyama Shrine!). To be honest, I could’ve stayed here the whole day and I’d still have fun appreciating the sights and sounds of this garden.
You know the garden is well maintained because of how clear the water in the pond is and the presence of yukitsuri almost on every non-evergreen tree and shrub here. I would say though that the view here would be even better if the sky wasn’t so overcast.
I swear the koi isn’t dead! For some reason it just decided to stay in that position and in that area in between shots.
This was my last shot of the garden and I must say this is probably the best picture I took of that specific area.
I wasn’t sure what this was so I decided to look it up online. According to my research, this is supposed to be a nightingale box. A nightingale is placed inside and its singing would then serve to entertain the lord’s household and visitors. I wonder what happens to the nightingale after this though?
I wasn’t sure what this was or if the water can even be used for drinking. I’ve read that this specific type of water basin is called a tsukubai and is mostly used for hand washing and mouth rinsing.
Up ahead is probably one of the most memorable areas of the house. If you’re relatively tall then you might want to heed the warnings as the doorway to this area is really low for some reason.
I really thought that I was stepping into a Zen garden but it turns out this was just a stony area that leads to a really unique stone staircase!
This area was relatively well lit and had a rather splendid view of the small garden outside.
Just look at this staircase! This is the first of its kind that I’ve seen indoors. I’m not sure though if this was part of the original house or a later addition. Regardless, it looks awesome.
After climbing those stairs, I was then rewarded with a glimpse of the tea room. It’s said that this area has some of the best views in the residence so I was actually quite excited.
I was then greeted by this signage on the top right hand side. Basically it’s telling us that we’re not allowed to participate in the tea ceremony. Rather than participate, we could only view the ceremony and only at the left ante-chamber. I was admittedly disappointed but then realized most tea ceremonies cost around JPY3000 so it kinda made sense that we weren’t allowed to participate.
Thankfully we were still allowed to take pictures so you bet I had my phone out snapping shots like these! Anyway, this is in one of the rooms on this floor and it also features a tokonoma with kakemono/kakejiku with characters that translate to something like “great conviction without yearning”.
The tea room. Thankfully there wasn’t a tea ceremony scheduled at that time so I had no problems taking pictures here.
The signage describes how this is a rare tea room and that its ceiling was made from a single piece of pine wood from Shikoku. I’d heard Shikoku pine was great for bonsai but this was actually the first time I knew of its use in construction. Apparently, Shikoku pine can grow to as high as 80 feet with its trunk widening to as much as 3 feet in diameter.
Another view of the tea room. There’s another kakejiku with Zen Buddhist calligraphy here. I asked around and was told that the meaning it was trying to convey had something to do with mindfulness or being in the moment which actually resonated with me.
So this was the view from the tea room that people who visited here were raving about. I managed to snap this pic of the garden below and I must say they were totally right about this view. Again, the sky was a little overcast but I bet if the sun was fully out it’d be even more beautiful.
Even with the sun not as bright today, the tea room was still adequately lit thanks to the LED ceiling light here. And since we’re in the winter season right now, the room also has a heater for when it gets cold.
Looking at the room again, I can’t help but think of the discussions people in the past might have had here. If only those walls could share what they know of history!
A wide angle view of the ante-chamber that we were supposed to stay in to watch the tea ceremony.
Here’s a signage that further discusses the history of the Nomura household.
So here are even more pictures of sliding door handles or hikite. At this point my tour of the place was nearing its end so I decided to take a closer look at these.
Some of the handles (like these in the picture) haven’t really withstood the test of time. That said, you can see that the craftsmanship on these hikite are still exceptional even though some of them have worn down.
Considering these are from the Edo period, it’s kind of crazy how the craftsmen of those times managed to be so precise with the tools they had.
Even the less detailed hikite still looked impressive with their straightforward and elegant design. It seems like Edo period craftsmen had a really good sense of aesthetics with how these designs just seem to still look great even after hundreds of years.
I’m finally back out and again I am greeted by these yukitsuri. The sun seems like it’s also decided to come out so it’s probably high time for me to continue on with my journey.
The way the sun lights up this area quickly reminded me of what I like most about Japan. Even though it’s one of the most advanced nations in the world in terms of technology, its people still find ways to be one with nature as well as to honor their rich history.
And this officially ends my tour of the Nomura Family Samurai House. It was eye-opening to say the least and I think more people should definitely go through this experience if they were given the chance. How about you? Have you been to the Nomura Family Samurai House or maybe other samurai houses in Japan? Share your experiences with us!
