Flowers were arranged in the alcove of an Edo period Gassho-zukuri private house as if people still lived there

Alcove of the former Yanohara family residence at Sankeien Garden — Alcove of the former Yanohara family residence

In the large garden of Sankeien in Yokohama, there are buildings that have been moved from various places. This garden was created by Tomitaro Hara, a businessman who made his fortune in the silk trade. There are many museums in Japan and abroad that display works of art from the collections of wealthy people. Sankeien is not only a garden, but also a museum that exhibits real architectural structures, which are rare in the world.

There are 17 historical buildings in Sankeien that have been moved from Kyoto, Wakayama, Kanagawa, Gifu, and Tokyo, including the three-story pagoda of the former Tomyo-ji temple, built in 1457 on a small hill as a symbol, the main hall of the former Tomyo-ji temple, built in the Muromachi period, and Rinshunkaku, built in 1649, which used to be a villa of the Tokugawa family in Kishu. These buildings are arranged in such a way that visitors can walk around and look at them in the large park. Since many of the buildings are old, some can only be viewed from the outside, but others can be entered.

The former residence of the Yanohara family, from which this photo was taken, is one such structure that can actually be entered. Built in the late Edo period, it is a private house in the irimoya gassho-zukuri style, and as its name suggests, it was moved from Shirakawa-go. It is not to be underestimated just because it is a private house. The original owners, the Yanohara family, were wealthy farmers, said to be one of the three richest farmers in the Hida area, and the house was a highly prestigious farmhouse with a magnificent shoin-style tatami room.

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