Bikan Historical District After Dark

 

The Bikan Historical Quarter is a major tourist attraction in Kurashiki, Okayama.

It developed as a major trading area during the Edo Period when the Kurashiki River allowed easy access to the main trade route of the Inland Sea.

Lined with many white-walled storehouses, now converted into trendy shops, cafes, museums, and accomodations.

The area also includes architecture from later periods.

It is one of the more than 120 Preservation Districts for Traditional Buildings in Japan.

Very, very busy during the daytime, most businesses close in the evening, but a few stay open making a stroll around the area at night much ess crowded and quite atmospheric.

Though many claim this is the best of the historical merchant districts in Japan, I find it a bit too much gentrified and upmarket. Very much a touristy spot, I prefer some of the less-developed merchant districts like Mima in Tokushima or Mimitsu in Miyazaki or even Yanai in Yamaguchi as they retain some of their historical authenticity.

 

The previous post was on the Ohashi House, a wealthy merchants property in the Bikan District.

Ohashi House in Kurashiki

 

The Ohashi family were the richest merchant family in Kurashiki.

Their former property in the Bikan Historical Quarter, a Preservation District of Traditional Buildings, is open to the public as a museum.

Though techncally belonging to the merchant class, the lowest of the four classes in Edo Japan, Their residence was set back from the main road with a front garden area, an architectural style that belonged to the highest class, the Samurai.

The property was built in 1796 and includes numerous large storehouses, including one set up as a museum.

The rear of the property was the private family living quarters, and in the front and an area for business and guest accomodations.

The Ohashi family were earlier a samurai family who served the Toyotomi, but following their defeat chose to become merchants.

They traded in salt and rice promarily and later moved into banking and moneylending.

As the Edo Period progressed more and more samurai became poorer, and some merchants became richer, leading many of them to financially support the samurai and in return receive benefits of status.

The Bikan district of Kurashiki became the main port of the domain, though quite a distance from the sea, the canals and river enabled the transhioment of many good and products.

The previous post was on the gardens of the Ohashi House.

Gardens of the Ohashi House in Kurashiki

 

The Ohashi Family were a major merchant family in the Bikan district of Kurashiki.

Located on the edge of the Preservation District, their late 18th century property is open to the public and well worth a visit.

the gardens of their property are quite small and include a couple of really tiny enclosed gardens.

Originally a samurai family, their property is unusual for a merchant property in that it is set back from the street with a small front garden, something officially  only allowed for samurai.

The previous post in this series on day 7 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on Anyoji Temple, a major mountain temple complex to the north of Kurashiki.

Arita Historic Preservation District

 

Arita in what is now Saga Prefecture is and was a major ceramics town, specifically Japanese porcelain, which is said to have originated here.

The main part of the old town with a street of merchant and townhouses and kilns located in the northern section, is registered as an historic preservation district.

In 1832 a big typhoon caused fire to spread from the kilns and it engulfed the whole town so everything save one solitary building dates from after that time.

Many are built in Western-style.

Many are now gift shops selling local porcelain souvenirs, although a couple are museums.

In the northern part of the town, near the kilns, walls have been built by recycling kiln bricks.

There are currently more than 120 of these preservation districts around Japan, covering a wide range of architecture and including merchant towns, samurai quarters, ports, farming villages, temple towns etc.

Some of the better ones are located off the main tourist routes and so retain a measure of authenticity that is lacking in the major tourist areas where the architecture seems more like a theme park

Not far from Arita I visited a couple of other preservation districts, like the thatched roof townscape of Hizen Hamashuku, and the nearby sake brewing district. Other districts I liked from this walk around Kyushu were the port of Mimitsu, and the merchant town of Hita.

The previous post in this series exploring Arita was on Hokao Shrine