First Rice Paddies in Japan

 

No-one can know for sure exactly when and where rice was introduced into Japan, as this was in prehistory.

However, the Nabatake Site in Karatsu, Saga, has been identified by archeologists as the oldest known wet-rice farming settlement  so far discovered.

A new local history museum, the Matsurokan, display materials from the site as well as a reconstruction of a pit house and a group of paddies.

It is named after Matsurokoku, a place mentioned in the earliest Chinese records of Japan as the site where they landed on theoir way to the legendary Yamatai, home of "Queen" Himiko. It is believed that Matsurokoku was this area.

Certainly rice was introduced into Japan, along with so much else, including the bulk of Japanese Dna, through Northern Kyushu, the closest point to the Asian mainland.

All the info is only in Japanese, and I was surprised that given the modern Japanese obsession with rice that this place is not more widely known, celebrated, or visited.

I was exploring Karatsu before heading up the coast on day 73 of my Kyushu walk. The previous post was on the former Takatori Mansion.

Karatsu Kunchi Hikiyama

 

Karatsu Kunchi is the main festival of the coastal castle town of Karatsu on the coast of Saga in northern Kyushu.

It takes place on November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th every year and features a parade of giant floats called hikiyama.

Many of the famous matsuris in Japan feature giant floats, and unique styles have been developed.

All the floats in Karatsu date back to the early to mid 19th century, and 14 of the original 15 are still used.

The floats are between 5 to 6 meters in height and weighing between 2 and 5 tons, with each one created by and representing the 15 different districts that make up the town.

The floats are started with a wooden framework which is then built up upon with sometimes clay, sometimes linen, and sometimes Japanese paper. This is then lacquered and finished with gold leaf..

All manner of creatures, mostly mythical, are represented, with lions being quite popular, but also dragons, phoenix, and turtle. Perhaps the most unusual design are the kabuto, or samurai helmets, with the kabutos of the great samurai Raiko  Minamoto, Kenshin Uesugi, Shingen Takeda, and Yoshitsune Monamoto.

If you can't visit the festival, the floats are displayed throughout the year in an exhibition hall. These photos were taken when I visited and the hall was located directly next to Karatsu Shrine, but a new hall has now been built close to the main JR station of the town.

The previous post was on Karatsu Shrine, the origin and home of the Karatsu Kunchi.

Hirata Honjin Gardens, Mansion, & Museums

 

The Hirata Honjin Museum is located on a hillside overlooking the old town of Hirata near the shore of Lake Shinji.

A honjin was a property used as a guesthouse by feudal lords when they traveled within their domain and this one was the residence of the wealthy Honkisa family who made their fortune locally with sake brewing and trading cotton.

The buildings and most importantly the garden were dismantled and moved here from their original site about 2 kilometers away.

It is an Izumo-style garden, karensansui, with the arrangement of stepping stones that marks it as uniquely Izumo.

It is sometimes referred to as Gentan-style after Sawa Gentan, a gardener brought to Izumo by The famous daimyo Matsudaira Fumai who had a hand in designing many of the gardens in the Izumo and Matsue area.

Unfortunately, the garden cannot be entered, however, it can be enjoyed from the main room of the house.

Some say that the garden can be best appreciated in the rain when the wet stones shine....

However, visitors are allowed to enter the gardens that lead from the main house to the Yuyuan Teahouse.

The Yuyuan is a Shoin-style teahouse of 4.5 tatami.

It is not open to visitors, but can be rented.

It was reproduced using the original Edo period plans.

As well as the gardens, the whole house is open to visitors.

On display are artworks and artifacts from the family, including some samurai armour.

The traditional bathroom and toilets are also open.

There are also two large, modern, galleries that show temporary exhibitions, and sometimes more works from the family collection of prints and paintings.

These sometimes  have an entry fee, though I must stress that everything else is free.

And yet there is more......

Some large storehouses have been converted into a Folk Crafts Museum....

In many ways this place is similar to the Izumo Cultural Heritage Museum which also offers gardens, traditional architecture, and exhibitions with no entry fee. If anything The Hirata Honjin has the edge in terms of displays and gardens.

In the entrance hall you will see a big example of a local artform, Isshiki Kazari. I have briefly touched on this before, in this post.

In the old section of Hirata you will be able to see many more examples of isshiki kazari and also visit a wealthy merchant home and gardens, that while not as spectacular as the Hirata Honjin, is well worth a visit.

For those into gardens, less than 2 kilometers from Hirata Honjin is Kokokuji, a zen temple with a small but excellent garden. It and the Hirata Hoinjin garden always appear in the top gardens list of the American magazine Journal of Japanese Gardening. The top garden in that magazine is always the Adachi Museum Garden, also in Shimane.

The previous posts in this series on Izumo and Matsue were on Izumo Cultural Heritage Museum and Gardens.

Dokurakuan Tea House & Sankan Sanro Roji Gardens

 

The Izumo Cultural Heritage Museum is a must-visit site for those interested in Japanese gardens.

As well as a fine example of an Izumo-style karesansui garden attached to a huge mansion, which I covered yesterday, it also has examples of roji, the small gardens associated with tea houses and the tea ceremony.

The Dokurakuan is a replica of a teahouse designed by Sen no Rikyu, probably the most famous of all tea masters.

It was originally built in Uji, near Kyoto, but passed through many owners until ending in the hands of Matsudaira Fumai, the daimyo of Matsue domain who was a famous tea master in his own right. 

He retired early and passed the domain on to his son so he could retire to his estate in Edo where he built a huge garden with many teahouses including the Dokurakuan.

A teahouse is usually approached through a type of garden called roji.

here at the Izumo Cultural Heritage Museum  the replica Dokurakuan is reached through three gardens called Sankan Sanro.

Called Outer, Middle, and Inner, the three gardens are quite distinct and separated by walls and gates.

It is said the Sankan Sanro was designed by Fumai himself.

The teahouse and gardens were recreated using old drawings and paintings of the original.

As well as the mansion with its Izumo-style garden, and the Dokurakuan and Sankan Sanro, there is yet another garden here. A modern teahouse where visitors can enjoy tea and sweets has its own garden, but I have no photos as I didn't visit.

The museum and gardens are free to visit, though there may be some entry fees to special temporary exhibitions that are in the big galleries.

The previous post was on the Izumo mansion and Garden. Not far away are a couple of other traditional properties with nice gardens, the Hirata Honjin, and the Yakumo Honjin.