What a load of Bushidō

 

The Yakui Mon gate (1860) of Aoyagi-ke

In 1620 a small town was laid out in the inland hills 50 kilometers/31 miles east of Akita 秋田, 60 kilometers/37 miles west of Morioka 盛岡. Orginally established as a military outpost by the lords of Akita, with a hilltop castle guarding the dangerous northern direction, Kakunodate 角館 grew into a town of around 80 samurai residences, with 350 merchants' houses located to the south. 

Kakunodate never grew into a large city. In fact, it's no longer even a town, having been merged with another town and a village in 2005 to create a city called Semboku 仙北. But what it did eventually become was a tourist destination, thanks to a couple of reasons. Every spring, several hundred cherry trees, brought from Kyōto 京都 three centuries previously, bloom spectacularly along a two kilometer/1.2 mile-long path on the eastern side of the Hinokinai-gawa 桧木内川:

https://www.tourism-alljapanandtokyo.org/festival-en/f-05-03?lang=en

The other reason is the one that brought me to Kakunodate - the grouping of 200-year-old samurai mansions lining Bukeyashiki 武家屋敷 street. I started off my first morning there (day four of my trip) in the restaurant attached to the Tamachi Samurai Residence Hotel 田町武家屋敷ホテル: 

My room:

Imagine my surprise when I came down from my room to head outside only to come face to face with someone whose videos I often watch on YouTube. Quinlan Faris makes his living guiding visitors throughout the Tōhoku region 東北地方 (of which Kakunodate is a part) with his company GoNorth Japan. I subscribe to his YouTube channel which is why I recognized him almost immediately. Quinlan was waiting for his clients while I was off to see the samurai quarter, so we chatted only briefly. But he was very friendly, and if you have any interest in hiking in Japan I recommend checking out some of his videos:

Passing by an old cigarette machine. Other than its obvious state, I knew this machine was no longer functioning because Mild Seven is now called Mevius, and the cost was still only ¥220 - cancer sticks today go for at least twice that amount. Or so I've heard:

Walking past a Shintō shrine 神社:

My first stop upon reaching Bukeyashiki street was the residence located at the opposite northern end. Built in 1809 the Ishiguro-ke 石黒家 is one of the oldest samurai houses in Kakunodate. The original owner was a financial advisor to the local daimyō 大名 (feudal lord), and his direct descendants still live on the property today. Part of the main house is open to visitors, who are given a brief tour after paying the entrance charge:

Once the tour has been wrapped up visitors are free to check out the exhibits:

Leaving the main house:

Near by is Aoyagi-ke 青柳家, considered by many to be the one residence visitors should make a point of seeing. Spread over 10,000 square meters/107,639 square feet you begin your explorations in the 200-year-old thatched main house, which remained inhabited until 1985:

The compound now contains an eclectic mix of galleries, like this one on Kakunodate Shunkei-nuri Lacquerware 角館春慶塗, a technique that flourished during the Edo period (1600-1868) 江戸時代 but which subsequently died out:

The Armory showcases a collection of armor, guns, helmets, swords and war flags from the 15th through 19th centuries:

When people think of samurai 侍 they probably conjure up images of warriors dueling with katana 刀 swords like those in the photo above. In reality most foot soldiers used weapons such as spears in battle. And what eventually led to the end of the Sengoku period 戦国時代 and brought about the unification of Japan was firearms, introduced into the country in the 1540s, and which completely altered how battles were fought:

This white standard is the oldest item in the collection, dating from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) 鎌倉時代:

Further copies of the Kaitaishinsho 解体新書, the anatomical book previously encountered in the Ishiguro-ke (see above in case you've already forgotten):

There are also exhibits demonstrating the Westernization of Japan's elite starting in the Meiji period (1868-1912) 明治時代:

There were also unfortunate reminders of modern Japan's darker (i.e. pre-1945) side, such as these records about sending soldiers off to war or the march of the beloved horse:

Some fascinating photographs of early modern Japan, such as this scene from the Shimonoseki Campaign 下関戦争:

The arrival of the "black ships" 黒船 shortly after the opening up of Japan, aka gunboat diplomacy in action:

The Ryōunkaku 凌雲閣 was a twelve-story structure erected in 1892 in Tōkyō's 東京 Asakusa 浅草 district. The first high-rise building made of bricks in Japan, it collapsed during the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake 関東地震: 

A photograph of members of the First Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1862:

In Kakunodate (as in other old districts in Japan) you frequently come across examples of kura 倉/蔵, which was a traditional storehouse made of clay, stone or timber that was used to keep valuable items safe from the fires which ravaged Japanese cities and towns. This one has been converted into a museum/cafe:

The museum part has collections of western antiques such as cameras, clocks and gramophones:

I took a break in the cafe, relaxing with a Kakunodate coffee and a slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream:

As climate change affects the availability of food, Japan has seen a sharp rise in bear attacks in recent years, with a record 13 fatalities in 2025. Kakunodate wouldn't be the first place I would see signs warning of bears during my trip:

Bukeyashiki street:

Next stop was the Kakunodate Cherry-Bark Craft Center 角館樺細工伝承館, or just the Denshōkan 伝承館:

The museum is dedicated to how local artisans use cherry-tree bark to craft items such as seal cases, tea caddies and tobacco holders. It was more interesting than I expected even though most visitors outside on Bukeyashiki street seemed to give it a pass:

A cherry blossom-pattern inkstone box:

An example of a sedan chair 輿 used by the nobles and samurai to travel during the Edo period:

Apparently I missed the local festival 角館祭り by a mere two weeks:

This honzonden 本尊殿 (a small structure housing an object of worship) was once located in a local shrine:

An ema 絵馬 called "opposite eyes" 向い目. These were offered on the 8th day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar at a Buddhist temple in Kakunodate. The eight eyes depicted symbolize the healing of worshippers suffering from eye diseases:

Winter ware:

Lunch time and an opportunity to try another local craft beer:

For lunch I ordered what the English menu described as "Inaho Style Rice Bowl with Hinai Local Chicken and Egg", failing to recognize it was oyakodon 親子丼, which I had for dinner the previous night. A reminder that I should always refer to the Japanese menu instead:

Inaho 食堂いなほ, the restaurant where I had lunch:

As Japan's population decreases and younger people move to the cities for education and work, abandoned homes and businesses have become common sights in rural areas:

Back to Bukeyashiki street:

Hirafuku Hyakusui 平福百穂 and his father Hirafuku Suian 平福穂庵 were painters in the traditional nihonga 日本画 style. The Hirafuku Memorial Art Musum 平福記念美術館 spotlights some of their works, as well as those of other artists from Kakunodate. Upon entering the concrete structure, you pass by a beautiful piano (no touching):

The special exhibition room featured photographs of this region of Japan:

A frozen over Lake Towada 十和田湖, which was next on my itinerary: 

Some photos from the small main gallery. "松林煎茗" - I have no idea what this translates to in English. By Hirafuku the elder from around 1885:

Ugong High Gate 于公高門 depicts a Chinese legend of a judge named Yu Gong who performed good deeds like repairing the gate of his village (Hirafuku Suian, 1889):

Peacocks 孔雀 (1914) by the younger Hirafuku:

Naotake Odano 小田野直武 (1749-1780) is one of the other local artists being featured by the museum. He left Kakunodate for Edo 江戸, where he studied Western painting techniques, as can clearly be seen in Shinobazu Pond Map 不忍池図: 

It was when I was exiting the museum through the rear exit that I met Ryōma:

Ryōma is a second-year (junior) student in high school. He lives nearby in Ōmagari 大曲, but likes to come to Kakunodate, especially when the sakura are blooming. After high school he plans to learn auto maintenance at a vocational school because he's into cars. I know this because unlike his silent, camera-shy friend, Ryōma is eager to practice English. He's still in the early stages of mastering the language, but I hope he never loses his interest or enthusiasm. I also hope he realizes his dreams for the future:

While many old homes are open to the public there are also many residents who wish to maintain their privacy:

Kura can be encountered even away from the tourist district:

Near my accommodations is the Andō Jōzō 安藤醸造本店, a traditional miso- and soy sauce-maker occupying a 150-year-old red brick storehouse. It stands in what was once the merchants' district, separate from the districts set aside for samurai (in the north) and traders (in the south). It was here I ran into Quinlan and his clients:

One large room in the interior is open for visitors to have a look...:

A hagoita 羽子板, a wooden board traditionally used to play hanetsuki 羽根突き, an old game bearing some similarity to badminton. These days hagoita is more of a decorative item than a piece of sports equipment. I still have the one I bought decades ago at a festival market at a Buddhist temple in Tōkyō:

...but the main reason for going inside (free admission) is the opportunity to sample various soy sauce flavors. I also bought a cup of soy sauce ice cream, though to be honest it was difficult to detect anything except what I presume was cream:

My final stop on the way back to the hotel was at the Shinmeisha Shrine 神明社:

For dinner I had udon noodles うどん, washed down with a Tazawako Beer. The label depicts a namahage なまはげ:

The hotel lacked a common bath, but they did offer discounted tickets to the Kakunodate Hot Springs かくのだて温泉, five minutes away on foot. There, one of my fellow bathers that evening was a heavily-tattooed middle-aged gentleman, clearly a yakuza ヤクザ. His appearance there was something of a surprise as many onsen now bar entry to anyone with tattoos. He kept to himself and left soon after I arrived:

More intimidating was the resident cat, who made sure no one else could use the massage chair in the lobby:

Kakunodate is well worth a visit, especially to those interested in the samurai, and there was a surprising number of foreign visitors there (including at my hotel). But though I'm very interested in Japanese history I have managed to avoid Shōgun, both in its novelized and televised forms. This is intentional. It annoys me to no end to go into a bookstore in the U.S., make my way over to the history section, locate the shelf with the books on Japan and find out 90% of them are about samurai. What especially brings out the inner gatekeeper of this Japanophile is hearing people go on about these noble warriors, strictly adhering to the time-honored moral code of bushidō 武士道. These articles (here and here) do a better job than I could at explaining why you shouldn't let Tom Cruise educate you on Japanese history (please don't take The Last Samurai as historical fact), but the next time you start fantasizing about being a Zen warrior skilled in the arts of swordsmanship a la Miyamoto Musashi 宮本武蔵, remember this - the samurai were human beings just like you and me. Meaning many of them lied, cheated or betrayed those they had sworn to serve (my Japanese history professor in college asserted bushidō was promoted in the Edo period because so many samurai needed to be reminded how they should be behaving). Throughout Japanese history, but especially during the Sengoku period, feudal lords and their samurai retainers would frequently switch sides, sometimes in the middle of battles. Edo period popular culture often depicted ordinary townspeople getting the better of inept or corrupt samurai, though within strictly prescribed limits. The samurai are a fascinating part of Japanese history who certainly played a role in shaping modern-day Japan, but too many writers go overboard with the tired tropes. There is so much more nuance and depth to the samurai than what Netflix was showing you two years ago.

And don't even get me started on ninja 忍者, or ikigai 生き甲斐 or whatever other bullshit is currently running rampant on social media...