Museums in Seki post town (part1)、東海道関宿の資料館 (1)

Seki post town on Tokaidou highway is located in central Japan. It retains the appearance of the Edo period (1603～1868), because half of buildings were made more than one hundred years ago. The town is designated as a nationally-selected preservation district for groups of historic buildings, so it’s a living museum. I walked in the evening while there were few people on the street (1.8km long) and I felt that I went to the Edo period.

Three museums in this town show us fun of travelers and inhabitants.

亀山宿の西隣･三重県の関宿は、東海道で往時の面影が最も残っている街と言われています。街の半数以上の建物が明治中期以前に建てられたもので、街並み自体が博物館です（国の重要伝統的建物群保存地区）。

人気がない夕刻、東西1.8ｋｍの宿場町を歩くと、江戸・明治にタイムスリップしたようでした。旅籠の資料館、祭りの山車の資料館が旅人と住人の楽しみを伝えてくれます。パート1では、街並みとともに、昔の旅籠を活用した資料館を紹介します。

The center of the town is Jizouin temple which was supposedly established in 741 and it was designated as a cultural asset. The railway and the NEW Toukaidou national route (R1) were built outside this town, so the old houses remain.

741年開創と伝えられる地蔵院は街の中心です。本堂や鐘楼は重要文化財（建造物）に指定されていて、見応えがあります。明治時代に、鉄道、国道一号とも町を通らなかったので、街並みが残ったそうです。

Aizuya is a soba noodle restaurant in front of the temple, which was an inn.

地蔵堂の前にある街道蕎麦の会津屋さんは、元は旅籠でした。

Lunch at Aizuya, taste good.

山菜おこわとお蕎麦（1180￥）。おこわの方も美味しいです。

I walked east, there is a Shiratama (specialty sweet) shop “Maeda”.

地蔵院から東に向いて歩くと、銘菓・白玉の前田屋製菓さんがあります。

A bulletin board site was rebuilt in front of a post office.

郵便局の前には高札場が復元されています。

This shop “Fukagawaya” sells “Seki-no-to” which was a tribute to the Shogun (boss of samurais). The procession which brought “Seki-no-to” was prestigious, so even daimyo lords gave way to it.

深川屋さんの「関の戸」。将軍家に献上され、その行列には参勤交代の大名も道を譲ったそうです。

Seki-juku Tamaya-inn historical museum
関宿旅籠玉屋歴史資料館

It was said that the best inn in Seki was Tsuruya or Tamaya (this inn) followed by Aizuya, so it was a representative inn here. The main building was built in 1865. You can understand the inn in the Edo period well.

「関で泊まるなら鶴屋か玉屋、まだも泊まるなら会津屋か」と謡われた代表的な旅籠でした。母屋は江戸末期（1865年）の建築です。旅籠の様子が良く分かる展示でした。

Facade of Tamaya: there is a mushiko (insect cage)-mado (window) on the wall. The shape is a crest of this inn.

虫かごのように格子の目が細かい虫篭窓（むしこまど）。玉屋は、宝珠の玉をかたどった窓を設けています。

There is a tana-no-ma space (wooden floor) at the entrance which welcomed travelers.

玄関には店の間、旅人を迎えます。

Tana-no-ma in the Edo period in the other post town.

旅籠の店先の様子。赤坂宿の絵ですが、雰囲気は伝わります。（一階の旅籠の説明のポスターから）

Layout (from brochure)、レイアウト（パンフレットから）

Tana-no-ma: travelers in the Edo period often slept on the wooden floor. Wicker trunks under the stair case reminded me of the travelers in the past.

玄関脇の店の間、左は二階の客間に上がる階段、その下には行李がさりげなく置かれてています。江戸時代の旅人は、板の間で寝ることが多かったそうです。

There is a tub to wash feet. Maid helped customers. People took their shoes off here.

土間には足を洗う盥と草鞋が展示されいます。実感できます。うまい。

Then customers went to the reception counter called “Chouba” where in a master sat down and instructed servants and maids. It’s a bit scary.

板の間に上がると帳場。ちょっと怖い感じです。

There are two guest rooms next to the counter. In the second room, there are exhibits about traveling.

帳場の奥は、二間続きの座敷。奥の部屋には旅の品々が展示されています。

This inn is written on the guidebook which was issued in 1859. It is next to the Tsuruya inn.

1859年刊行の五海道中細見記。旅行ガイドですが、関宿には玉屋利右衛門」が「つるや吉兵衛」と並んで書かれています。

Various travelers such as merchants and pilgrims are written on this book issued in 1851. Everybody looks happy.

1851年に刊行された東海道風景図絵に書かれている様々な旅の人々。皆さん楽しそう。

Traveling gear、道中用具

Panel about inns in the Edo period: Honjin, Waki-honjin which were for daimyo lords and nobles, Hatago in which meals were served and Kichin-yado in which people cooked by themselves. Tamaya was a Hatago.

Reference: Kusatsu Inn Honjin 草津宿本陣

宿屋の種類：本陣・脇本陣、旅籠、木賃宿

There is an annex beyond a court which intakes light and wind.

光と風を取り込む中庭を見て、離れへと進みます。

The interior of the guest rooms in the annex are high grade and samurais or noble people stayed, but there were other customers behind a sliding door. This is a very typical Japanese guest room. If we remove the sliding doors, many people such as a big family can stay in one big room.

離れは武士などが泊ったと考えられる上等な座敷ですが、ふすま一枚でお隣さんです。

The main garden and the fire-proof storage (dozou) from the annex.

離れから奥の庭と蔵を望む

The second floor of the main building was renovated around 1900. It was a wooden floor in the Edo period. We can see a mushiko-mado window from inside.

二階は明治にリニューアルした座敷。通りに面した部屋の虫篭窓は明り取りになっています。江戸時代は、板の間だったようです。

Guest rooms on the second floor.

二階の奥から街道方面を望む

Trays for meals and sake bottles are prepared in the central room. Perhaps many joyful parties were held here.

真ん中の客間は食事のセッティング。お銚子を置いて、楽しそうです。

Futon bedding, which are folded and kept in the closet in the daytime, is set in another room. These kinds of things were used in the Meiji period (1868-1912).

隣の部屋は布団が敷いて、夜のセッティングです。明治の設定です。

How to drive fleas away: people used Kujin grasses and so on. British women I.L. Bird, who traveled across northern Japan in 1878, was bothered by fleas a lot, but ordinary Japanese also couldn’t deal with them well. (Travel of Isabella L. Bird in 1878, part 1)

蚤を避ける方法として、苦参（くじん）という草を敷くなどの方法が書いてある。江戸時代の人も蚤は苦手だったようだ。明治に東北を旅したイザベラバードは虱と蚤に苦労している。（イザベラバードが見た明治初期の日本（1））

Kitchen on the 1^st floor, it is not so big.

土間は台所。建物の割には、コンパクトです。

Trays and sake bottles are exhibited. Maids worked busily.

お膳や酒器も展示されています。女中さんが忙しく動いたのでしょうね。

Water well and a bathhouse (behind the well)

井戸と、その奥の湯屋

There is a two-story fire-proof storage (dozou) in the end of the inn, which was built in 1739. It is an exhibition room, but photography is prohibited in the 1^st floor where ukiyo-e printings are.

敷地の一番奥の蔵は1739年に建てられました。展示室ですが、浮世絵のある１階は撮影禁止です。