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Iizuna history museum、いいづな歴史ふれあい館（長野県）


Iizuna is a city in central Japan (Nagano prefecture). In the Edo period (1603～1868), it was a post-town on Hokkoku-kaidou (highway) which links central Japan and the Japan Sea coast.

The museum shows us not only the defunct post-town but also eating culture, which is perceived from various aspects (food, eating, farming, annual events during farming and health). If we eat just due to feeling hungry, I think it would be a feed. We actually enjoy food culture. The museum also shows us irrigations constructed long time ago; it has supported food production.


The museum and mountains (Mt. Iizuna (left) and Mt. Kurohime (right))、ふれあい館と飯縄山（左）、黒姫山（右）


北国街道の宿場町があった飯綱。宿場に加えて、農民たちの食生活・食文化を「食べごと」と位置づけ、農作業、年中行事、また、健康の面から捉えているのが新鮮でした。ただ食べるだけなら餌になってしまいますが、私たちは食文化として楽しんでいます。また、農業を支えた用水開発も丁寧に説明されています。

 


Post-town、宿場町

The post-town named “Mure-juku” is exhibited near the entrance. Dolls in the diorama (upper right) talk. A traveler is invited by staff of an inn; towners talk about luggage from Sado Island, which is gold and silver. Those are heartwarming conversations.

飯綱には、信州から日本海に伸びる北国街道の宿場町・牟礼宿があります。エントランス近くのジオラマ劇場では、宿場の人や旅人が登場し、その日の様子をほのぼのと語ってくれます。佐渡から金銀荷が来ることも彼らの話題になっています。


A full-scale model of an inn’s facade is in the next room. There are exhibits about Mure post-town.

隣の部屋では、牟礼宿について説明されています。


Gold from Sado Island went through Hokkoku-kaidou and was brought to Edo. Seafoods and salt were brought to inlands, and inlands’ products such as rice were brought to coasts. Daimyo (boss of samurai) who ruled the coast areas went to Edo via the highway. It was an important road.

北国街道は佐渡の金を江戸に運ぶだけでなく、塩などの海産物を信濃の山中に届ける道であり、加賀藩などの参勤交代の道でもある重要な道でした。


The meal (supper) above was served to a merchant at an inn named Kagaya. Rice, soup, simmered food (upper left) and egg dish (upper right) were on the tray. Egg was an ingredient served to a patient for their recovery. It’s rare egg was served as a usual meal, I think.

1799年５月に旅籠・加賀屋で出された夕食です。飯、汁、煮物に加えて玉子ふうふうという卵料理が出されています。当時、卵は病人が元気を出すために食べる大切な食材だったと思いますが、旅籠の主菜として出されるのは珍しいのではないでしょうか。

 


Exhibition room on the second floor. Exhibits about the primitive age are displayed in front; the ones about food culture are behind.

２階の展示室は、手前が原始時代の発掘品。奥が少し昔の食卓です。


The traditional food culture in Iizuna. I visited in summer, so dishes in the season were exhibited: vinegared food of salted squid and yatara (mixed vegetables).

Reference Yatara: https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/search_menu/2994/index.html

「食べごと文化」、飯綱町に受け継がれる食べごとです。夏の訪問だったので、お膳にはやたら（北信の郷土料理）、塩丸いかの酢の物（信州の郷土料理）が載せられていました。

参考「やたら」：https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/yatara_nagano.html


An exhibit like a flower bed on the lower left, is a model of a “Zenze field”, which surrounds a residence. It says, “Zenze is similar to a storage in a kitchen. Residents pick vegetables or take root crops stored under the ground. Ingredients in each season are picked and are cooked. The practice has kept residents healthy.” They didn’t buy vegetables from shop.

花壇のような展示品（左下）は「せんぜ畑」（前裁畑・前菜畑）。自家用の野菜を育てる家の前の畑です。「せんぜ畑は台所の延長で、採りたての野菜から貯蔵用の根栽まで、四季折々のさまざまな食材がつくられて食卓にのぼった。こうして人びとの健やかな暮らしが約束されてきたのである」と書かれています。野菜は買うものではありませんでした。


The picture above depicts rice farming process (inside) and annual events. Those are similar across Japan.

It is very Japanese to respect tools and to have rites for them; a hoe event is held after ploughing season, a sickle event and a “kakashi” one event held after harvest season. (“Kakashi” is a human-shaped figure set up in a field to scare away birds, such as crows. A hawk-shaped kite is also used now.) Farmers thank to tools for farming, and have rites for essential tools.

A festival praying for a good harvest is held in spring; a festival thanking for a harvest is held in autumn. Those are milestones of an everyday life. I like Japanese traditional life style, however, it is gradually disappearing unfortunately.

稲作を中心に、田植えや稲刈り後に食べる行事食と年中行事がまとめられています。郷土色は強くなく、多の地域と似ていると思います。

田を耕すと馬鍬洗い、稲刈りが終わると案山子あげ・鎌あげ、道具への感謝を忘れないのが日本人らしいです。祭りも含めて、季節感を感じ、生活のメリハリをつけることができますね。

 

The title of the section is “Warriors”. Warriors especially in the medieval era worshipped Mt. Iizuna as a deity “Iizuna Daimyoujin”.

このコーナーは、飯綱の豪族や武士の信仰を集めた飯縄山を神格化した飯綱大明神に関する展示です。


Two men (ex-samurai) who developed an irrigation canal, were not only respected but also were enshrined as deities. A ritual dedicated to them is held even until now; a mayor and representatives of the town participate in it.

用水を開いた清水戸右衛門、用水を完成させた野田喜左衛門は神として敬われ、町長が町民代表として参列する水神祭が行われています。いずれも武士の出です。

 

 

Visited in July, 2025

Official website: https://www.town.iizuna.nagano.jp/kanko/rekishi/ (in Japanese.  Automatic translation is attached), accessed in June, 2026

 

Previous post (old diary of a village head): Peaceful days and funs of a village head in 19th century, part 13（千葉県流山の名主日記）、Daughter contracted smallpox (October to December, 1804)、疱瘡にかかった娘（文化元年10~12月）

Next post (museum on the same highway): Sekigawa checkpoint and museum、関川の関所・道の歴史館



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