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Murakami Castle Site

All that remains of Murakami Castle are stone ramparts, remnants of large gates, and the foundation stones of watchtowers on the forested summit of the 135-meter hill called Mt. Gagyu just east of central Murakami. The castle towered over the town for nearly 250 years during the Edo period (1603–1867) when daimyo lords governed the Murakami domain, yet it was never tested in battle.
　Mt. Gagyu was first fortified in the early 1500s when conflicts between rival families drove a local warrior group to establish an outpost on the hill’s eastern slope. The fortifications were composed mainly of dry moats and earthen walls, and made good use of the site’s steep slopes as a defensive position.
　Those early fortifications were abandoned in the early 1600s when the Tokugawa family unified the country and established a shogunate based in Edo (now Tokyo). The shogunate installed trusted retainers to serve as daimyo lords of domains such as Murakami that were situated in strategic locations. The castle town expanded as successive daimyo built residences for the samurai in their service to the west of Mt. Gagyu. A new castle was built on the western edge of the hill, with high ramparts, stone walls, and a three-story wooden turret that stood on the hill’s flattened peak. Construction took more than 50 years.
　The daimyo resided in a compound at the foot of the mountain near the entrance to the castle grounds, occasionally sending samurai to patrol the hilltop. The Edo period was a time of relative peace, and the castle was important mainly as a source of prestige for the daimyo. This is reflected in some surviving sections of the ramparts. Large stones were painstakingly cut and stacked together in a process that achieved a perfectly smooth surface but added no defensive advantage.
　A fire caused by lightning destroyed the turret in 1667, but the rest of the castle endured for another two centuries. During the Boshin War (1868–69), fought between forces loyal to the shogunate and those who supported a return to imperial rule, the Murakami samurai set fire to the daimyo’s compound to prevent it from falling into the hands of the advancing enemy. However, no combat took place at the castle, which was dismantled in 1875, as the new government embarked on the modernization of the country with Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) as its figurehead.
　The hilltop site of Murakami Castle can be reached in about 15 minutes by hiking up a slope with nine sharp turns. The site commands a view of the former castle town, the Miomote River, and the Sea of Japan.

Samurai Houses

Well over a thousand samurai lived in the castle town of Murakami in the late seventeenth century. Although their population later decreased, districts reserved for samurai residences made up a significant portion of the town throughout the Edo period (1603–1867), and a handful of such properties still remain in Murakami today.
　In modern terms, samurai homes were a form of company housing. They were built by the domain for its employees, many of whom were warriors only in name. During the relatively peaceful Edo period, mid-ranking samurai were often tasked with administrative work such as record-keeping and the supervision of local industries, which many combined with subsistence farming or fishing. Most samurai of this status led comfortable lives, especially in comparison to ordinary townspeople, but were hardly wealthy.
　Five houses built for mid-ranking samurai have been preserved in Murakami. The oldest and most notable is the Wakabayashi House, which was constructed in the late eighteenth century. It is located some distance from the castle site, on the outer rim of what in Edo-period Murakami was the samurai district, and was inhabited by a family whose head commanded a troop of foot soldiers.
　The thatched-roof house is in the magariya (“bent house”) style, built in an L-shape with clearly demarcated living and reception areas. Entrance to the house is through the earthen-floored area (doma) by the living room, which centers on an irori hearth. A fire was kept going in the hearth at all times to keep the house warm and dry. Next to the irori is a ladder leading to the attic, which was mainly used for storage. Beyond the living space are the family’s sleeping rooms and a room used to receive guests of lower rank than the head of the household.
　The other side of the house was for the exclusive use of important guests, mainly higher-ranking officials. Such visitors would enter via the veranda, which leads to a pair of rooms with tatami-mat floors. The inner chamber, where the host would entertain guests, has an alcove (tokonoma) to display decorative objects, sliding paper panels (fusuma) to let in light, and a view of the adjacent garden.
　Such reception rooms indicate the importance of hierarchy and formalities in samurai society and are also found in the other four houses. Those buildings are all rectangular and are smaller than the Wakabayashi House, as they were provided to somewhat lower-ranking samurai.
　Three of the houses are in Maizuru Park. The Fujii House dates to 1850 and was the home of a mid-level samurai whose official duties included overseeing construction work in the castle town. Nearby, the smaller Takaoka and Iwama Houses exemplify more modest samurai dwellings, being nearly devoid of ornamental details. Just south of the park is the Narita House, with architectural characteristics that suggest it may be the most recent of the five houses.
　The Wakabayashi House is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property, while the other four structures have been registered as cultural properties by the city of Murakami.

Machiya Houses

Traditional machiya town houses can be seen here and there along the streets of central Murakami, where merchants and artisans have lived and worked since the Edo period (1603–1867). Many of the houses remain in use as shops and private residences, and some are open to visitors throughout the year.

Prolonged properties
The typical machiya is a long two-story building with a narrow front that faces the street. This configuration came about because property taxes in the Edo period were based on the width of street frontage. Immediately beyond the front door is a shop area divided into an earthen-floored entrance and a space with a raised floor where the shopkeeper would sit. A narrow earthen-floored passage leads from the shop through the house, past the living quarters, and to a yard in the back.
　In the style of machiya common in Murakami, the first room beyond the shop is the living room, where the family would gather for meals around the irori hearth. This room would also contain the family’s Shinto and Buddhist altars, as well as a staircase up to the attic in some homes. Toward the back are the sleeping rooms, bathroom, and storerooms.
　Machiya were usually built right next to each other and thus do not have windows on the sides. Instead, they often have high ceilings with skylights to let in natural light, which was a strategy to reduce the need for illumination that could increase the risk of fire.

Visiting machiya
Most machiya in Murakami line the central Machiya Street, where an association of local shop owners and residents has been working to preserve traditional houses and restore them to their original appearance since 2004. More than 50 of the buildings are opened to the public in spring, when dolls associated with the annual Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival) are on display, and in autumn, when visitors can view decorative folding screens (byobu).
　Houses including a salmon shop, a confectionery, and a sake store can be visited year-round. Also nearby is Kurobei Dori, a narrow street lined with traditional-style black fences that goes past several temples.

Kurobeidori (Black fence street)

You can feel the exotic atmosphere and history in this street with black fences.
There are temples designated as important cultural property around there.
So please walk around and visit them.

Doll Tour in Machiya

Spring Garden, Touring 100 famous views

Byobu (folding screen) Festival in Machiya

Bamboo Lantern Night Festival

Tour guides will tour you around the town houses.

Murakami city tour guide association will tour around the attractive areas of the castle town, Murakami, such as Machiya and Kurobeidori.
＊Tour guides can't speak English.

Reservation/ Reservation must be made one week prior to the desired date.
Fee/　¥2,000 for 2 hours (¥1,000 per additional hour)
Number/ Around 20 people per guide
Reservation and Inquiry/ MAIL:guide@sake3.com (Murakami City Tourism Association)