Aizu-Part Three

Aizu Bukeyashiki

Daddy wearing Dylan:) I was thrilled to have a shoulder break on this trip.

The last stop for our Aizu trip was to this Aizu Bukeyashiki Samurai residence. Wow I feel as though I can't begin to explain all that we saw here.

Beautiful garden and koi pond near the guest rooms of the "compound"

The Skikidai-Genkan "gateway for formal time"
This is the manor's front door

The Shoinichi-no-ma

(the classy room for visitors)

Here you can experience visiting Samurai being served tea

I am not sure what type of flowers were being used to decorate the residence but they were amazingly large. The bloom was huge on the tall stalks you see behind us.

flowering bonsai- a fascinating discipline of plants

Shisha-no-ma

(drawing room for messengers from the castle)

Kawaya

(Samurai's personal lavatory)

There are no ceiling boards which prevents hidden enemies from making a surprise attack.

Strangely enough this lavatory was placed next to the guest room?

I had Rory pose next to this contraption. He was thrilled as you will soon understand;)

You are looking at the underneath of the lavatory. This wooden box filled with sand is on wheels. It could be pulled out to check the health of the Samurai - who got that fun job!

Because we were so amazed at this Samurai manor and knew we could not adequately describe it we scanned in part of the map. Aizu Bukeyashiki totals 7 acres. Most of the buildings in which the Samurai lived burned down 130 years ago during the Boshin Civil War when the castle was destroyed. This residence had 38 rooms and a view of the Samurai castle we had just visited.

Along with the many rooms of this residence there was a

tea ceremony house-

the tea ceremony was regarded as an aesthetic ritual rather than a pastime.

a small Buddhist temple,

and rice cleaning mill-

This mill was 180-years old and brought to this area from Shirakawa City. There was one in the Samurai's residence though not this very one which pounded 960kg of rice every day.

Rory and I back on the bus after an amazing day.

Seeing this Samurai manor was truly amazing and a lesson in Japanese culture/history. I am blown away by how different everything is compared to what I am "used to" I think that seeing the manor of a duke or earl in Europe would be awesome but not as mind bogglingly different.

Another strange part of Japanese history was the idea that commiting suicide was honorable. There was an area at the castle which honored the 19 white tiger teenage samurai that committed Seppuku (ritual suicide) when they thought the castle had fallen. Hara-kiri was the most popular method - this translates as stomach cutting

Then here in the manor was a room that told of a similar story. The family of the Lord (head Samurai) when battle started followed in the same manner. The women killed the children then killed themselves. One woman could not finish the "job" so she asked an enemy warrior to help her maintain her honor. He oblidged. How dreadful! One of my many thoughts was what if the Samurai had won the war? He would have come home to a self slaughtered family.