Kakunodate – samurai, old streets and cherry trees

Kakunodate is an ancient fortified town and samurai bastion in the current Akita prefecture. While the castle of Kakunodate no longer exists, the city is famous for its samurai tradition and its hundreds of weeping cherry trees (shidarezakura). Apart from the loss of its castle, Kakunodate remained remarkably unchanged since its foundation in 1620. The city was built with two distinct zones, the Samurai district and the merchant district. Once home to 80 families, the Samurai district still has some of the best examples of Samurai architecture from all over Japan.

Castle of Kakunodate

Kakunodate Castle was an important regional fortification and a small fortified town was built around it in the late 1500s. The town was then moved to the current Kakunodate site in 1620, marking the date of the founding of the city of Kakunodate, as well as the demolition of its castle due to a change of legislation by the Shogunate.

Today, nothing on the perched site of the ancient Kakunodate castle indicates that it was once a regional power centre. Instead, a path invaded by vegetation leads the steep side of the hill to a flattened plain marked only by a park bench. A panoramic view of the town of Kakunodate and the Hinokinaigawa River rewards those who make the short climb.

Old Samurais district

The samurai district of Kakunodate, once home to about 80 families, is one of the best examples of architecture and housing of the samurai in the country. Its wide streets and large courtyards are shaded by dozens of weeping cherry trees that bloom in early May. Meanwhile, the wide streets are occupied by Hanami tourists.

Of the samurai houses that remain intact, six are open to the public and offer visitors the chance to see how the middle-class samurai families and the rich have been able to live. Of the six open houses, two are particularly remarkable for their size and quality: the Aoyagi house and the Ishiguro house.

Aoyagi House (Aoyagi-ke) is an impressive complex with several buildings containing museum collections, restaurants and gift shops. The exhibitions provide interesting information in English and Japanese on samurai traditions, lifestyle and historical context of Japan in relation to Kakunodate. It is a useful place to visit for those interested in the history of the samurai of Kakunodate.

Ishiguro House (Ishiguro-ke). The area open to visitors is much smaller than that of the Aoyagi house, largely because the family still resides in the rest of the house. A small collection of samurai armors and clothing is displayed, as well as drawings and anatomical studies. The house Ishiguro also has a well preserved pantry.

The other four open days are free of access and offer different levels of accessibility. These are mostly examples of middle-class samurai residences and are therefore smaller than the Aoyagi-ke and Ishiguro-ke. There are also two museums that may be of interest to visitors: the Denshokan Museum exhibits traditional Kakunodate products and handicrafts, while the Omura Art Museum houses a private glassware collection.

Old Merchant Quarter

Although the Samurai district is better known to tourists, the merchant district also claims interesting buildings and history.

The most impressive building in the neighborhood is the warehouse and shop Ando Jozo Miso. The Meiji brick warehouse is a beautifully preserved structure, while the shop sells miso and soy sauce, which have been produced in the same way for over 150 years, attracting Japanese food lovers from all over the country.

Some other historic buildings can be found scattered among the more modern construction that prevails in this part of the city. Many buildings, both historical and modern, are shops selling cherry bark products. Local carpenters transform cherry bark into small mirrors, jewelry boxes and furniture. Known as “Kabazaiku”, cherry bark woodwork dates back to a Kakunodate samurai named Fujimura Hikoroku, which popularized crafts with its neighbours.

Nishinomiya House is another important complex located next to the merchant district in a second smaller samurai area. Formerly the home of the rich Nishinomiya family, the various buildings have since been converted into a restaurant, shop and museum. The Nishinomiya complex is representative of a prosperous multigenerational home.

Hanami

Kakunodate is one of the most famous cherry flower sites in the Tohoku region. About one million people visit the Kakunodate cherry blossom festival every year. Flowers are usually at their best during Golden Week, late April and early May.

It was during the Edo period (1603-1868), that several weeping cherry trees were imported from far away Kyoto. This was done by families of local samurai in order to surpass themselves in the cultivation of the most beautiful trees. Their efforts are still visible in the Samurai neighbourhood, where dozens of weeping cherry trees border the streets.

In addition, several hundred somei yoshino cherry trees were planted along the Hinokinai River, which crosses Kakunodate. The bank of the Hinokinai River offers an ideal location for Hanami picnics under the flowers.

To Kakunodate

Tokyo and Kakunodate are connected by hourly Komachi trains along JR Akita Shinkansen. The one-way journey takes about 3 hours, costs about 17,000 yen and is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass, the JR East Tohoku Area Pass and the JR East South Hokkaido Pass. Seat reservations are mandatory for Akita Shinkansen.

Kakunodate is known as the location of one of the most popular cherry flower sites in the Tohoku region. It will therefore be around the end of April and the beginning of May, the best time to enjoy the special combination of pink flowers and historic houses in Kakunodate, despite the crowd (mostly Japanese) who intend to do the same.

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