Kusatsu was the second post town
from Kyoto in Toukaidou highway. The photo below shows the old highway and
Kusatsu Honjin (Tanaka Shichizaemon Honjin). Honjin was an inn for daimyo
loads and noble class in the Edo period. This Honjin was built at that
time.
草津宿は京都から東に二つ目の宿場である。旧街道と草津宿本陣（田中七左衛門本陣）前。今も往時の姿を残している。
This is a plan of the Honjin. It is a large one which has 39 rooms and gross floor area is around 900sqm. Guest
room area and owner’s area is separated clearly. (The photo is an exhibit of Kusatsu Inn
Highroads Community Square)
本陣の見取り図。奥に長い作りで、宿舎と主人らの居室が区分されている。39室268畳半とあり、大きな本陣である。（上の写真は草津宿街道交流館の展示品）
The main gate with a notice board of the guest
of honor which was written “Konoe-dono” when I visited
表門から玄関を見通す。この日は「近衛殿御休」の札が上る。
The entrance of the main building. Big
lanterns of the guest of honor were hung.
玄関広間と式台。宿泊する大名家の提灯を吊る。
Main corridor of the guest area. The end of
this corridor is a garden which faces a main guest room and a sub main guest
room. There are rooms for attendants before main guest rooms.
宿泊施設中央の畳廊下。奥は庭で、その手前がVIPが泊まる上段の間、向上段の間、更に手前の従者の間となる。
The photo below is the room for the secondary
prestigious guest following the main guest room called “Joudan-no-ma” in which “Joudan”
means high class and “ma” means a room. Photo is prohibited in Joudan-no-ma.
向上段の間。撮影禁止の上段の間に次いで、格式が高いという。
The sliding doors called “shouji” in the “Joudan-no-ma”
with the picture of puppies. These doors surely relaxed the VIPs who were tired
with travel. (This is an exhibit of Kusatsu Inn Highroads Community Square)
本陣上段の間のわんこの絵。VIPも寛ぐ（草津宿街道交流館の展示品）
Enlarged picture of puppies; those are drawn very prettily. (Exhibit of Kusatsu Inn Highroads Community Square)
可愛く描けてますなあ。（草津宿街道交流館の展示品）
This is the model of lunch which was served to
Princess Kazunomiya who took a rest here on the way to Edo in order to get
married with the shogun military head. Most dishes are boiled food such as
tofu. There are eight dishes served including the dessert, this plating is much more gorgeous compared with merchants’ dinner that is exhibited in Kusatsu Inn Highroads Community Square. I don’t think the princess could eat everything.
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| Breakfast and dinner for merchants at the ordinary inn at Kusatsu Inn Highroads Community Square 草津宿街道交流館 |
The kitchen in the earth floor is very large.
台所土間。広い。
The bathroom with wooden floor is also very
large.
湯殿、こちらも広い。板の間だ。
There are a stable and warehouses in the
backyard. The arbor in center was not a well, but a facility for boiling water.
The well is in the kitchen.
裏庭には、厩や土蔵などがある。中央は井戸ではなく、湯を沸かす場所。井戸は、台所（屋内）にあった。
This is the owner’s living area. There is a family
Buddhist altar in the back.
主の住居。奥に仏壇がある。
In this Honjin, four couples can hold a wedding
ceremony a year.
本陣では、年間4組、結婚式をできるそうだ。（草津宿街道交流館）
This is the first time for me to go inside of Honjin;
it is a large building with many accommodation equipment. I guess only high-class
samurais could stay here because many samurais followed their daimyo at that
time, for example three thousand samurais followed Kisyu lord. After the Edo
period this Honjin was used as a community center, so Honjin became the
facility for people and wedding ceremonies were held at that time.
初めて本陣に入ったが、確かに大きな建物だ。しかし、例えば紀州藩では大名行列は3000人にもなるので、上級武士のみが泊まったのだと思う。明治に入ると公民館として使われ、庶民の施設となり結婚式も行われたとのことだ。
Three funs（楽fun）were found. Visited in September, 2018
Website :
Website :
http://www.kusatsujuku.jp/shiseki/
(Japanese), accessed in February, 2019
Previous post (Kusatsu post town in
Tokaidou high-way where this special building is.) : Kusatsu Inn Highroads
Community Square 草津宿街道交流館
Next post (Museum in the next post town on
Toukaidou high-way) : Otsu City Museum of History 大津市歴史博物館
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