Komatsu-rou and Kinokuni-ya in Arai post-town、新居宿小松楼・紀伊国屋

Arai post-town on Toukaido highway has not only Arai check-point (sole one in existence) but also old buildings. Let’s see the entertainment establishment “Komatsu-rou” first.

Reference: Kaido(Highway) and Shukuba (Post-town)

東海道新井宿には、新居関所（唯一の現存関所）があるだけでなく、古い建物が公開されています。では、遊びの場、小松楼から見ていきましょう。

 

Komatsu-rou、小松楼

The photo above is a view of Komatsu-rou from ex-Toukaidou highway. There were no red-light district and no particular maids who entertained travelers, because it had a rigorous atmosphere because of the checkpoint. However, in the following Meiji period (1868-1912), the checkpoint was abolished and the back street flourished as an entertainment district. It is said there were fifty to eighty geisha girls.

Komatsu-rou was a geisha office which dispatched the girls to restaurants and inns. It started operation in 1901. It was also a restaurant and pub. Its second floor was renovated in which a guest played with a geisha girl. The building is a community center now and is opened to the public.

旧東海道から見た小松楼。新井宿にある新居関所は取り調べを行う場所、宿には遊郭はもちろん、旅人を接待する飯盛り女も置かせませんでした。しかし、明治期には東海道の裏通りが歓楽街として栄え、芸妓が50～80人いたといわれています。

小松楼は、芸妓の置屋として明治34年ごろに開業し、その後、小料理屋も兼ね、二階ではお座敷として遊べるように改築されました。今は、まちづくり交流館として公開・活用されています。

Ms. Temari was the most popular girl among the old photos on the wall. There was a girl who could play the violin. The geisha girls basically have entertained guests by music, dance, game and so on.

壁の古写真、てまりさんが一番人気だったとのことです。バイオリンを弾ける人もいます。

Music instrument of geisha girls. The brochure says, “geisha” is an honorable occupation of the sophisticated girls who have artistic skills and education. They are entertainers who enliven a party by music, conversation and so on.

芸者さんの音曲の道具。パンフレットには、「『芸妓』は技芸と教養を併せ持つ洗練された女性として敬意を払う意味が込められた呼称になります」と書かれています。酒宴の場を、音曲や舞、おしゃべりで楽しくするエンターテナーですね。

Once you go to the second floor, you find a space for practicing of the girls.

二階へ上がったところの板の間、芸妓さんのお稽古場所でした。

The guest room is old but elaborate.

お座敷も残っています。古いですが凝った造作です。

The funny exhibit is the inside of the sliding door as a room partition. Old papers which were delivery notes and lists of customers were reused. A local could find how much his/her grandpa spent there.

傑作なのは、襖の裏張りが展示されていること。小松楼への納品や、お客さんのツケが実名で書かれた古紙を再利用しています。ひいおじいさんの名前を探せそうですよ。

Official website: 
https://www.city.kosai.shizuoka.jp/soshikiichiran/kanko/spot/8959.html  (in Japanese), accessed in September, 2023

 

Kinokuni-ya、紀伊国屋

Kinokuni-ya was rebuilt after the big fire of the post-town in 1874. It was operated as an inn until 1949. The building is an Edo period (1603～1868) style and was a large inn which had ten guest rooms and two VIP ones.

紀伊国屋は1874（明治7）年の大火で焼失後に再建され、昭和24年まで旅館として営業していました。江戸時代の旅籠の様式を残す建物で、10部屋に奥座敷２部屋の大旅館です。

There are signboards of inn associations which member secured travelers’ safe lodging. Kinokuni-ya was a member of thirty-four associations.

玄関には講の看板が置かれています。旅人が安心して泊まれるという旅館組合で、紀伊国屋さんは、34もの講に加入していました。

The founder of Kinokuni-ya came from Kinokuni (Wakayama Prefecture). The inn became a designated inn of Kinokuni lord in 1703. The messenger office of the lord was placed at Kinokuni-ya. Afterword, the inn became the official inn of the twenty-two daimyo lords except for Kinokuni one.

The letter draft above asked the Kinokuni lord money to rebuild the inn, because it was broken out by the earthquake and the tsunami. I don’t know whether it worked or not, but I know how strong their relation was.

紀伊国屋さんの先祖は紀伊国（和歌山県）出身、1703年に紀州藩の御用宿になり、藩の飛脚の事務所を置いたこともありました。紀州藩以外に22家の御用宿を務めました。

上の写真は、大地震と津波で家が「みな潰れ同様」になったので、それを修復するために150両の支援を紀州藩に願い出たときの下書きです。結果は知りませんが、繋がりが強いですね。

Their grilled eel was famous on Tokaidou highway. There is a grilled eel in front of the girl at the picture behind. Dried source still remains inside the ceramic pots. It’s amazing!

紀伊国屋の鰻の蒲焼きは、街道でも評判でした。浮世絵の女性の前にも蒲焼きが置かれています。そして、甕には乾燥したタレが残っているので、驚きです。

The VIP room (zashiki) is very classy. There is a special water place which you can hear the sound of falling water drops through the bamboo pipe (upper left,). It is called "Sui(water)-kin(harp)- kutsu(cave).

奥の座敷は床の間付きの良いお部屋。庭には水琴窟（左上）もあります。

There are guest rooms on the second floor, too. There are not walls between the rooms. It is the feature of old Japanese inn. The sliding doors were opened during a lodging of a large number of people.

二階にも客室があります。壁で仕切らないのが旅籠時代の特徴ですね。

We can try old Japanese pillows. Interesting!

昔の枕を試せます。面白いアイデアですね。

There is a photo of actress at the bathroom. She played a ninja in a popular TV drama, and she took a bath at every episode. All Japanese over 40s know the scene. She came here at the 400 year anniversary of Toukaido highway.

旅籠でお風呂場といえば「水戸黄門」に出ていた由美かおるさん。東海道400年記念に来られたときの写真が置いてあります。こちらも面白い！

Official website： https://www.city.kosai.shizuoka.jp/soshikiichiran/kanko/spot/8958.html (in Japanese), accessed in September, 2023

I ate the grilled eel and rice near Arai. It was delicious even until now.

新井宿と対岸の舞阪宿近くで食べたうな重。身が厚くて、名物は今も美味でした。

 

 

Visited in March, 2023

 

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Next post (post town at the neighboring prefecture): Akasaka post-town and Toyokawa Inari Shrine、赤坂宿・御油の松並木・豊川稲荷