Fee: 4.950yen/person/hour (including preparation)
Place: Inside the manor only (40minutes free walk)
*Inside the roofed gallery only if rained.
*No XL, XS size prepared.
*Time reserved has to be 1 hour before we close.
*Reservation
Fax: +81(0)187-53-2006

The main gate to the Manor, Yakui Mon sports a roof with magnificent decorations, overwhelming other samurai manor gates in town. In feudal Japan, gates symbolized　the social prestige of their owners. The Family built the gate in 1860 after the feudal lord of Kakunodate gave special permission as a reward for their contribution to the domain.

The Main House with a thatched roof is one of the best preserved samurai residences in the nation. The L-shaped structure has three entrances leading to separate areas, whose use was under tight regulation according to one's social class.

The ornamented front door and the vestibule lead to the guest room. The area was only for visitors of very high status, and therefore was rarely in use. Wooden verandas border the guest room, allowing the visitors to enjoy the view of the garden.

The middle door leads to the area for family members and close friends. To the right is the room of the head of the family, and to the left is the dining room. The door has grills on either side, allowing the servants to inspect the visitors from the inside. The side door leads to the kitchen and was for the servants.

A collection of swords, armors, helmets, guns and wor flags from the 15th through 19th centuries occupies the first floor. Items worth special attention include a triple-barrelled matchlock gun, a double-breasted black-lacquered armor and a folding armor. Also on display are flower-dyed silk kimonos donned by samurai brides at weddings.

The second floor has displays depicting the samurai lifestyle in the Edo period. The collection features clothes, toys and books as well as wooden dolls crafted by Takemura Bunkai, a renowned artist born in Kakunodate. Menuki and tsuba - parts of Japanese swords often carrying beautiful ornaments - are also among the collection. Copper ingots on display were cast from ores mined in the domain under the guidance of celebrated inventor Hiraga Gennai.

"Kaitai Shinsho," is the first translation of a Dutch anatomy book published in Edo with five volume composition in 1774. It was translated by Sugita Genpaku, who is historically very famous in Japan.
The one who illustrated “Kaitai Shinnsho “utilizing western techniques was Odano Naotake , a Kakunodate-born samurai and a remote relative of the Aoyagi clan.
Exhibits focus on his great works adopted the western shading method that resulted in the creation of Akita Ranga, a Dutch-style school of painting which left a great impact on the world of Western art.

This compact botanical garden always greets visitors with flowers of the season. Hundreds of rare plants, including Aoyagi Yae Beni Shidare Zakura (Aoyagi eight-petalled red weeping cherry)—a species found only in this garden — flourish with the tender care of experienced gardeners.

The pond and the Shinmel-sui well feed on five metric tons per hour of clear water flowing from aquifers under the near by Gendaiji-yama hit.

Odano Naotake (1749-80) was a Kakunodate-born samurai and a remote relative of the Aoyagi clan. He rose to fame for his illustrations of the human body in "Kaitai Shinsho," the first translation of a Dutch book on anatomy published in Japan in 1774.

Odano created the anatomical illustrations utilizing western techniques he learned from Hiraga Gennai. They first met in 1773 when Hiraga was visiting a local copper mine upon request from the lord. The inventor taught Odano how to draw in perspective and apply shading, techniques not used in the Japanese drawing methods of those days.

With the publication of Kaitai Shinsho, Odano succeeded to win the respect of many art-loving feudal lords, who called upon him for lessons. He later invented Akita Ranga, or the Akita Dutch-drawing method.

A typical farmer residence from the Edo period, this building used to be in a village In Akita Prefecture that has since sunk under a dam. Its sturdy structure incorporates more than 10 kinds of timber so that it can hold a heavy amount of snowfall in the region.

The first floor is the living museum. Hands-on exhibits, demonstrations of cherry-bark handy crafts and ltaya woodwork welcome visitors. Specialties of the town are also for sale.

A section of the second floor focuses on war history. The exhibits include documents, mementos, uniforms and other items from the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) through the Pacific War (1941-45).
Also on the second floor Is the sound Library, a collection of rare antique records and a phonograph.

This building exhibits samurai household items and toys from the Edo period. One of its primary attractions is a collection of Oshi-e — three dimensional "pictures" made of cardboard patterns wrapped in silk and stuffed with cotton. Their creators were samurai wives and children, who sold the handicrafts as a means of secondary income.

On display are reproduced Photos of the final years of the Edo period, which the Tokugawa Shogunate ended. You can see the life style of the then people.

This museum maintains what experts say one of the best collections of western antiques in Japan. Among the items on display are record players such as the original Victor Gramophone and Edison phonograph; cameras Including Leica and Comtaflex units: clocks, music boxes, and a 1917 Indian motorcycle.

The tea room with antique interiors on the first floor is for visitors to relax and chat.

Naotake Odano, as well as Akita City born, samurai tycoon, Yoshiatsu Satake (Shozan). These samurai warriors,　who were very fond of fine art, adopted the western shading method that resulted in the creation of Akita Ranga, a Dutch-style school of painting which left a great impact on the world of Western art.
Naotake’s pioneering spirit towards art as well as Shozan’s love for foreign cultures has been incorporated in to the interior and shop items and Tea room menu.

Inaniwa Udon is one of the three best Udon noodles in Japan with 350 year
history originated in Akita.
It used to be a food for a few select people, and now it’s healthy and delicate taste are loved by many people.

Find Vintage Potteries, Clothing, Old tools, Armors, Dolls , Accessories and more at this shop.

An exclusive chalet, near the charming and traditional samurai town of Kakunodate, the Wabizakura Inn is the place to escape from daily life.

Located at the center of the Samurai Street, it is one of the highest quality souvenir shops in Kakunodate; selling traditional cherry tree bark woodwork and local art.

Akita inu dog Bukemaru in the famous Bukeyashiki samurai town of Kakunodate in Akita. Welcoming visitors at Satoku Garden shop.