NIPPON Kichi - 日本吉

2006/11/27

渡邉邸 Watanabe-tei Watanabe-tei

Jp En


Watanabe-tei is a wealthy farmer’s residence designated as National Important Cultural Properties, located in Sekikawa Village , Iwafune County, Niigata Pref.. The total area of nearly 10,000 m2 including the 1650 m2 of the main house and gardens is open to public. The founder of the Watanabes had been a samurai who served under a daimyo of Murakami-han (province) but he moved to this village after his retirement. His descendants lend money to some of daimyos and were blessed with prosperity. One of such daimyo, the lord of Yonezawa, was so thankful that he treated the Watanabes as the same rank as his kanjo-bugyo (magistrate of finance). At their best days there were 75 servants. The Watanabes ran 1,000 hectares of woodlands, rented 700 hectares of rice fields to tenants and got 10,000 straw rice bags as rent. The main house in kirizuma style (a house with gabled roof) and six dozoes (warehouse made of soil) including rice-warehouse and miso-warehouse are designated as National Important Cultural Properties. Also the kaiyuusiki-teien (stroll style garden) is designated as National Scenic Beauty. Inside the main house, calligraphic works, paintings, antiquities, agricultural tools and body armor are displayed and you can get the idea of their prosperity and well-to-do life-style. After walking around the garden, it’s a good idea to warm yourself at the irori fireplace preserved as it use to be.

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address
904 Shimoseki, Sekikawa-mura, Iwafune-gun, Niigata, 959-3265
contact
The Foundation of important cultural property, The Watanabe family preservation meeting
phone
0254-64-1002
hp
http://www.watanabe-tei.com/




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