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Joetsu City History Museum、上越市立歴史博物館


Joetsu in central Japan (Niigata pref.) was the provincial capital in the ancient era. In medieval era (especially in Sengoku period: domestic wartime), a warlord built a large castle (Kasugayama-jo). Thereafter, Takada Castle was built in the city center. Although the museum shows us the local history as the provincial capital, people’s life is also exhibited a lot. I was impressed by the residents’ power; they vitalized the city by leveraging its unique urban characteristics.

Photography of exhibition rooms is prohibited; I took photos and uploaded them under the approval of the office.

新潟県上越市は、国府が置かれた越後国の中心地。戦国時代は長尾氏が春日山城を築き、徳川幕府は高田城を築きました。「越後の都」としての歴史を軸にしていますが、人々の暮らしも紹介されています。

政治の中心地であることを活用し、町を活性化させてきた（例えば、観桜会）人々に感心しました。

ところで、館内は撮影禁止。博物館の許可を得て撮影し、アップロードしました。（展示品は入れ替えがあります。写真は2025年７月の展示品です。）

 

 

Exhibition room of the medieval era. Letters of Uesugi Kenshin (a gifted warlord who stationed at Kasugaya Castle) and so on explained the era in detail. If you like Sengoku period, the exhibits satisfy you.

The room of Edo period (1603～1868) shows the ruler of Takada. The first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu dispatched his sixth son, and ordered daimyo lords including Date Masamune to construct the castle. The Takada-han (local government) had a large territory which estimated crop yield was 22.5 thousand tons at the end of the Edo period.

Takada was a castle city and also a post-town on Hokkoku-kaidou (highway). Around eighteen thousand of merchants and craftsmen lived at the end of the Edo period. Naoetsu at coast, which was in the same territory, had around six thousand merchants. Takada-han has been prospered.

中世の上越。春日山城を拠点にした上杉謙信らが書状などとともに詳しく説明されています。戦国時代好きにはたまらないと思いますよ。

また、近世の展示室では、家康が伊達政宗らに命じて高田城を築き、六男の忠輝を藩主として送ったことが紹介されています。高田藩は1741年に榊原家に引き継がれ15万石で幕末を迎えました。

城下町であり、北国街道の宿場町であった高田には、約１万８千人の商人や職人が住み（江戸時代末）、港町・直江津今町には約６千人の廻船問屋や漁師が住むほど繁栄しました。

 

The panel above shows the tragedy of samurai of Takada-han. Soon after the shogunate (Bakuhu) officially ended, the domestic war (Boshin War) occurred. Samurai of Takada-han belonged to different forces and battled. Samurai dispatched to the northern Japan didn’t know the Head Quarter supported the new government; they battled with the new government forces which included their HQ’s samurai. On the other hand, samurai stationed at Edo (old name of Tokyo) joined the rebel forces (ex-shogunate). A change of ruling class always causes casualties, doesn't it?

戊辰戦争で高田藩は激論の末、新政府軍に組みしましたが、連絡が取れなかった奥州領（飛び地）の藩士は会津若松城の籠城に加わり、藩士が敵味方に分かれて戦う結果になりました。悲惨ですね。

また、江戸藩邸の藩士は、幕府の恩に報いるとして上野戦争から函館五稜郭の戦いまで旧幕府軍として参戦しました。支配者が変わるということは、人々の血が流れることでもあります。

 

In the following era (Meiji period: 1868-1912), oil excavation contributed to prosper Joetsu.

明治時代の上越の繁栄に貢献したひとつは石油（油田：上の展示品）。


The other key-driver was a military; Takada’s shift to a military-based city. Army division was invited and they had stationed at Takada Castle since 1908. The things were clothing stores and photo shops opened for business; a morning market was started by the military’s request, which is still open now (photo above).

Interestingly enough, it says “the specific events such as military review or maneuvers gathered spectators. The city was enlivened.” People back then had few entertainments. But they were good at enjoying events.

もうひとつは、陸軍第13師団の誘致です。1908年に高田城に入城しました。高田では、洋服屋や写真屋が登場し、師団の要請を受けて野菜などが並ぶ朝市が立つようになりました。（上の写真は今も続く朝市）

“観兵式や大演習など軍隊特有の行事も人々を集め、街は活気を帯びていきます”と書かれています。娯楽が少ない時代の人々は、イベントで盛り上がるのが上手です。

 

Sakura trees were planted at the castle site for welcoming the army division. The sakura viewing event began in 1926. The site is one of the three major night sakura viewing sites now. Takada people are good at creating events and vitalizing their city. Not only residents but also tourists enjoy it.

師団の入城を記念して高田城跡には桜の苗木が植えられ、1926年には第１回の観桜会が開かれました。今では日本三大夜桜の一つに数えられる桜の名所です。イベント作りの上手さに感心します。住民だけでなく観光客も楽しめて何より。

 

 

At the folklore section above, “The life and people of snow country” is themed. It’s not easy to start off a day with removing snow.

民俗のコーナーでは、雪国の暮らしがハイライトされています。除雪から一日が始まるのは辛いですよね。

 

Tools and clothes for winter are displayed. The wall is as tall as the height of the fallen snow in 1945. It would cover all living space! The arcade (on the left) of snow country is called “Gangi”.

冬の道具が展示されています。壁には積雪と同じ3.77ｍで作られています。実感が湧きますね。右側は歩道の雪を除ける雁木。

 

The exhibit above is named “Playing in the snow”. They don’t just live under the snow; they have made tools from materials near at hand and have played since old days. They enjoy hardships!

展示品には雪遊びの道具があります。雪に閉じ込められていないで、手近な材料を使って遊ぶ。たくましいですね。

 

 

Takada Goze (The blind female musicians). The section is beyond the arcade (gangi); it shows the last goze master Sugimoto Kikui (1898-1983) who accepted blind girl as apprentice and trained playing music, then dispatched goze team to various regions.

雁木の奥は、「高田瞽女」のコーナーです。瞽女は音曲を演じる目が不自由な旅芸人。高田瞽女最後の親方（盲目の少女を弟子にとって瞽女に育てる師匠であり、瞽女たちの取りまとめ者）といわれる杉本キクイ（1898-1983）について詳しく説明されています。

 

The hat on the left was worn by Kikui around 1960. It was the gift from the inn's master wherein goze stayed. She covered the hut with plastic in order to use longer. The gauntlets on the right were sewed by Kikui who was blind.

左は昭和30年代にキクイが使った笠です。瞽女宿の主人から送られ、キクイは傷まないようにビニールで覆って大切に使いました。右の手甲は盲目のキクイが縫ったものです。


The shamisen guitar was used by Kikui’s apprentice. The bag for the shamisen was sewed by Kikui. I can imagine they play it. Many farmers and fishermen in rural areas waited for the song and music by well-trained goze.

My mother-in-law born in near area remembers goze’s performance. Two young women and an elderly attendant woman regularly visited her village until she was ten. She was impressed not only by the playing but also by the lovely appearance of goze girls, because people in mountainous areas wore shabby clothes at that time.

The shamisen was sent by Saito Shinichi who was a painter. He was moved by Kikui, investigated goze and their inns, and published books about goze.

キクイの弟子・シズが使った三味線と、キクイが縫った三味線袋。彼女たちの演奏が聞こえてきそうです。猛練習を積んだ彼女たちの歌を楽しみにしていた農民漁民はたくさんいました。

信州佐久の山間部で育った義母から「小学４年頃まで、瞽女さんが訪ねて来た」と聞きました。綺麗な着物を着た若い女性で、年配の女性に手引きされて来て、歌を披露してくれたそうです。義母の家では、ご祝儀としてお米をあげました。遠い昔の話ではなかったのですね。

写真の三味線をプレゼントした斎藤真一氏の絵も展示されています。氏は画家ですが、キクイに出会ってから10年にわたって瞽女や瞽女宿を調査し『瞽女＝盲目の旅芸人』などの本を残しました。

 


The museum is in the castle site. We can see the rebuilt building of the castle from the rooftop. Sakura trees surround it.

博物館は高田城址公園にあり、屋上からは再建された三重櫓が見えます。桜の木々に囲まれていますね。



I had a dinner at the pub (izakaya) in Naoetsu. Fish dishes and sake (alcohol), good!

夜は地元の軍ちゃん（直江津店）で地酒と魚料理。何れも秀逸でした。



 

 

Visited in July, 2025

Official website: https://www.city.joetsu.niigata.jp/site/museum/ (in Japanese. Automatic translation is attached), accessed in July, 2026

 

 

Previous post (museum on the same highway): Hida history and folklore museum、斐太歴史民俗資料館（新潟県）

Next post (museum in the same city): Dr. Sakaguchi memorial museum、坂口記念館 (Coming soon)

 


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