Kusano Juku Hita Kaido Post Town

 

Kusano, a little east of Kurume, was in the Edo period a post town on the main road known as the Hita Kaido, sometimes the Bungo Kaido. This is the former Kage family residence, built in 1780, the oldest building now in Kusano.

This second photo shows just how deep their property was compared to the frontage.

The road runs along the edge of the Mino mountain range. Most settlements were snuggled against the bottom of mountains, hence their names as "yamanobe"

This old house of a less wealthy family is now a cafe and gallery.

As with the whole length of the Hita Kaido, there were numerous Ebisu statues.

The local history museum is housed in the former bank, a western-style building painted pale blue like the nearby culture centre.