Haibara Samurai Residence

 

The former Haibara Samurai Residence is located in Takahashi, the castle town in the mountains of central Okayama, on the Takahashi River.

It is on a road of former samurai residences at the north of the town, near the base of the mountain on top of which sits Bitchi Matsuyama Castle, known as the highest castle in Japan.

At 430 meters above sea level, it is one of the few castles remaining in Japan with an original tenshu, or keep, and the only mountaintop castle with an original keep.

The former Haibara Residence was built about 170 years ago at the end of the Edo Period.

Unusual for a samurai residence, it was built in what is known as sukiya-style, normally associated with temples and teahouses.

Numerous artifacts including furniture and some armour are on display.

The gardens have also been kept in their original form.

There is a joint entry ticket to this house and the slightly more impressive Orii House next door which I will post about next.

Takahashi is a little off the main tourist routes, but is well worth a visit. While it is not a Preservation District, it has plenty of traditional architecture as well as the amazing castle, some lovely temples, and just outside town a great modern art museum.

On this visit, my second to Takahashi, I was on day 6 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

The previous post was on nearby Raikyuji Temple which was used as a home by the daimyo and has an amazing garden by Kobori Enshu.

Adachi Museum of Art Gardens

 

The gardens at the Adachi Museum of Art in Yasugi, Shimane are very well known and have been classed as the top garden in Japan for many consecutive years by an American magazine on Japanese gardens.

With a total of six gardens, they cover a very large area, however, they are not stroll gardens in the traditional sense.

The gardens are viewed from within the buildings and from the connecting corridors and covered walkways between the buildings.

The museum, which opened in 1970, houses a huge collection of Nihonga paintings and also ceramics.

The works of Yokoyama Taikan (1868-1958) a major influence on the Nihonga style,  are especially featured.

In fact, some of the gardens and their features were directly influenced by some of his paintings.

One of the features is the "living paintings", where windows of the museum frame classic views of the garden. Photo 2 is the most well-known example.

While not stroll gardens, it is possible for private tour groups to be taken into some sections of the garden and have things explained by the gardeners.

Like many traditional gardens, shakkei, or borrowed scenery is also in evidence in the main gardens.

As with many of the best gardens, the scenery changes with the seasons. This visit was at the end of April.

The designer is Kinsaku Nakane (1917-1995) who created many gardens outside of Japan but is perhaps most well known as the restorer of the garden at Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto.

I have posted earlier on some of his other gardens in Japan, with the one at the Yoko Museum near Takeo Onsen in Saga, known as Keishu-en, being somewhat similar to his Adachi designs, though much smaller.

More traditional are the gardens at Ohori Park in Fukuoka which I posted on in Spring and in Autumn.

Of course, the other major influence on the design of the grdens was Zenko Adachi (1899-1990) the founder of the museum.

As a young man he sold coal from a cart but went on to make a fortune in real estate, textiles, and rice-trading. He seriously began collecting art in 1959 and his collection formed the basis of the museum.

His ideas were influential on the design of the gardens, especially the notion of "living paintings".

Recently someone commented to me that they found the gardens here a little soul-less.

Not sure I agree with that, but I stand by my intial reaction when I first visited 20 years ago, and that they made me think of a manga version of Japanese gardens....

The museum continues to expand with the newest wing being a gallery devoted to Kitaoji Rosanjin.

Somewhat off the beaten track, the museum still runs free shuttle buses from JR Yasugi station.

Tezen Art Museum & Garden

 

The Tezen Museum of Art near Izumo Taisha Shrine is a hidden gem for those interested in traditional Japanese arts & crafts, mingei, with the added bonus of having a delightful Izumo-style garden.

Located between the entrance to Izumo Taisha and Inasa Beach, the museum is housed in a series of large Edo-Period rice and sake warehouses.

The Tezen family moved to the area of Taisha around the end of the 17th century.

They became wealthy through trade in rice, sake, lumber etc and became official merchants for the domain.

As such their residence was sometimes used as a honjin, guesthouse, by the daimyo when he visited the area.

Over the centuries the Tezen family amassed a huge collection of art that is now the basis of the museum.

The collection consists of swords, screens, paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, lacquerware, etc.

The collection includes a lot of pieces connected to Matsudaira Fumai, the daimyo famous as a te master.

There is a permanent display of the collection , which also rotates so that more of the collection can be viewed. There are also temporary thematic exhibitions.

Most, but not all, the collection is of arts and crafts produced in the Izumo area.

The garden, called Mukaizawaen, is small, but delightful.

Not too far away in Izumo City is another hidden gem, the Izumo Folkcrafts Museum, also housed in the storehouses of a wealthy family.

The previous post in this series exploring the Izumo and Matsue area was on Kokokuji Temple including paintings and sculptures.