On the previous post, I spoke about how after visiting Japan on a yearly basis for years now; Ms Buddha and I like to stray from the touristy areas and explore places that are more localised – which brought us to the old Samurai Town of Kitsuki.
Within the town is the home of Sadayoshi Hitotsumatsu, better known as the Hitotsumatsu residence. Hitotsumatsu-san was born in 1875 and was a lawyer then a prominent minister who got first pick of the land location for his home when he become an honoured citizen of the city. The location is about 20mins walk from the temple strip.
And I guess like Ms Buddha and I, when you get to select a spot for your home, you’d pick something where you just cannot get sick of the view, so naturally Hitotsumatsu-san selected a high spot overlooking the Kitsuki Castle.
It costs about 200 yen per person to enter the place and with it you get a map of the home and also an opportunity to see some of Hitotsumatsu-san’s collection of toys.
The house is actually quite big by modern day standards, but given that it was built in 1929, I’m surprised it wasn’t bigger (although it sits on a large plot of land). Inside there are various rooms that are empty now but you can see how Hitotsumatsu-san would’ve lived. The building itself rattled a bit in the wind, but I suspect that is because of the age more than the fact that it rattled when it was first built.
The main halls had decorations and ornaments in them that showed how the courts would have been.
There were a couple of standouts to the place and that was the the centerpiece:
And also this cool and absolutely adorable little guy!!!
Overall, the place was a little bare, but given the view and also the history behind the place, 200 yen was not a big ask, especially when throughout the town, there are plenty of places that have since converted itself into galleries that charge a small entrance fee. I personally feel this is fine because upkeep does cost money, so it’s only fair you pay a little to walk around.
Buddha Explores 