The Nagamatsu Family, were a samurai family for generations and resided at the southernmost end of Kōjirokūji. They are said to have been the educators of the Nabeshima Family.
The main house is a thatched, partly two-story samurai residence, probably built in the late Edo period (1603-1868 ). The wall surrounding the building, which runs from north to south, is built of natural stone and topped with hedging.
The building has been renovated several times since the Meiji period (1868-1912 ), but it still retains its original dignity as an early example of a large samurai residence.
The townscape of Kōjirokūji was built around the deposits of the Minotsuru River, which runs north to south, and was formed as a planned samurai town.
Bridges were built at the entrances and exits of the Kōjirokūji, which was surrounded by a river. There were also ‘masugata’ or walls built at right-angled turns at the entrances and exits to make it difficult for enemies to enter in a straight direction.
The centrally located masugata is no longer visible today due to the modern straightening of the roads. The site that remains today is a reproduction of the central masugata.
Former Nakamura Family residence and Hoashi Family Nagaya-mon gate
Former Nakamura Family residence
In the past, the alleyways of Kōjirokūji were lined with thatched samurai houses facing the street. The former Nakamura Family residence was a prestigious structure with an entrance hall. It also had a wooden floor set up so that visitors could ride in a kago* without having to step on the ground. However, due to its dilapidated condition, it was demolished in the early 1980s.
*A ‘kago’ is type of litter used as a means of human transportation in feudal Japan and into Meiji Period (1868-1912 )
Hoashi Family Nagaya-mon Gate
The Hoashi family, who were chief retainers of the Nabeshima family of Kōjiro, have a Nagaya-mon gate facing the street and main building to the north. The main gate and the tatami room of the main building have been preserved. The main building has a thatched roof and a large tatami room, in keeping with the style of the high-class samurai houses.
The Nagaya-mon Gate is a ‘pseudo gate’ created in order to deceive the eyes of an invading enemy into thinking that it is the entrance to the Nabeshima Family residence.
It was originally thatched, but the present structure was remodeled around 1907.
Former Kōjiro Village Kōjiro Junior High School building
In 1947, shortly after the war, the former Kōjiro Village Kōjiro Junior High School was opened.
The school was closed in 1962. For a time, it was used as a sewing factory, but in 2010 it was reborn as the Kunimi Exhibition Hall of the Unzen History Museum.
On the south side of the building is the Historical Museum Kunimi Exhibition Hall, which displays a variety of artifacts from stone tools dating back 30,000 years to glassware from the Showa period (1926-1989 ). The museum holds special exhibitions of the results of excavations at the site. The north side of the school has been restored to its original wooden form from the old Junior High School times, retaining the old pillars, floorboards and wavy window panes.
Kōjirokūji is a samurai’s estate surrounded by a river which also functions as a moat. The Minotsuru River used to flow near Kōjiro Castle, but its course is believed to have been diverted in more recent times.
There were once three entrances to Kōjirokūji. There was also a stone gate across Tenjin Bridge, which stood at the bottom of the Minotsuru River, in the samurai quarter. Further north was the precinct of Tenmangu Shrine.
Historical photographs show that Tenjin Bridge was surrounded by huge pine trees, forming a worthy entrance into the estate.
Kōjirokūji Preservation Districts for Group of Traditional Buildings in Unzen City
The Kōjirokūji district is lined with samurai residences, with the Nabeshima residence, the lord’s mansion of the Kōjiro Nabeshima domain of the Saga Clan, at its centre. The town is based on the samurai residences of the Edo period (1603-1868), and still retains the samurai architecture of the Edo period and the modern Japanese style houses of the Meiji (1868-1912) and Taisho periods (1912-1926) . The stone walls and hedges around the town, as well as Kōjiro Castle and the Minotsuru River, have preserved the historical atmosphere of the area.
The landscape of the town was selected as an Important Preservation Area for Groups of Traditional Buildings in Japan on 22 July 2005.
The tombs of Nobufusa I and Shigemasa II of the Kōjiro Nabeshima family, who ruled Kōjiro from 1608, are still visible.
After the establishment of the Kōjiro Nabeshima domain, Nobufusa stayed in Saga and dispatched deputies to rule Kōjiro, but moved his residence in the reign of the fourth generation Takanari.
The arrangement of the monuments, which are made of flat and elongated stone, and the appearance of the stone walls suggest that they were erected in honour of ancestors during the development of the area.
Private residence, not open to the public. Please do not enter.
Ebisu, the god of good commerce and bountiful fishing
‘Ebisu’, one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune, is the god of fishing and prosperity.
The worship of Ebisu is popular with tradesmen and the god is enshrined in shrines and other places throughout Japan.
Saga Prefecture is said to have the largest number of Ebisu artefacts in Japan, with over 800 enshrined.
Kōjiro was part of Saga’s territory during the Edo period (1603-1868), when the samurai ruled the area. Kōjiro had a port leading to Saga, so it is thought that the worship of Ebisu was influenced by Saga’s culture and spread into the area.
Even today, seven statues of Ebisu are enshrined in the eaves of inns and shops facing the street.
