Retro Japan: Hagi merchant mansion blends samurai grandeur with centuries-old town life
HAGI, Yamaguchi -- White walls line the streets of the former Hagi domain's castle town in this western Japan city. Passing through the "nagayamon," a
Hagi, a city in western Japan, is home to the Kikuya Residence, a nationally designated important cultural property that blends samurai grandeur with centuries-old town life. This former Hagi domain castle town features white-walled streets, a traditional gate, and a prestigious formal entrance that would be more at home in a high-ranking samurai's residence. The Kikuya family served as official purveyors to the Hagi domain, with the estate often hosting feudal lords and functioning as a guesthouse for shogunate officials.
The main house dates back to the early Edo period (1603-1867) and retains its original form as a traditional townhouse, featuring an earthen-floored passage. Its earthen-walled storehouses, built in the okiyane style, are extremely rare among surviving estates. Inside, visitors can find a vintage telephone from when telephone service first reached the residence and an old pendulum clock, reportedly brought back from the United States by Japan's first prime minister, Hirobumi Ito.
Numerous family art works are also on display, transforming the residence into a museum rather than a private home.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
