Four entrances! Kita Family's outstanding hospitality to the lord of the Maeda family of the Kaga Clan.

  • Ishikawa
  • Experience Gifu
Kita Family (Main Building) *Designated as a National Important Cultural Property
The Kaga clan organized and managed the collection of annual tribute, communication of clan rules, mapping by land survey, management of irrigation water, and judicial decisions on disputes, etc., based on units of ten villages. The Kita family was elected as the head of the peasantry in each of the ten villages. Since the lord of the domain and warriors sometimes stayed at the house, the prestigious main house befitting the role of head of the ten villages was equipped with a work area for the administration of the village and a private entrance and rooms for welcoming the lord of the domain. The main building, front gate, and tool storehouse are designated as National Important Cultural Properties.
Courtyard
Kita Family (Main gate)*Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property
First, when you enter the grounds, you will see a magnificent garden of 13,000 tsubo. Descending down through the garden, you will see the front gate with thatched roof. After paying the admission fee, the head of the family appeared and personally guided us through the garden. According to the head of the family, "The reason why the house is located below the garden is so that the enemy will not find it. The Maeda family was always under the watchful eye of the Tokugawa family. I was convinced. I understood it.
Kita Family (Main Building) *Designated as a National Important Cultural Property
Passing through the front gate, we found the main house directly in front of us. There are four entrances. From the right toward the front: peasant, front entrance, samurai, and the leftmost one is the entrance for the lord of the Maeda family. Not only were the entrances divided according to rank, but the entrances for the lower ranks were also moved backward. This is a valuable building that gives us a glimpse of the status system of the time.
Samurai's work room and lattice door of the room
In the main building, the rooms for the samurai were built higher than those of the peasant Kita family. They were not allowed to enter without permission. In the samurai's workroom, there is a large lattice door. These lattice doors are made of trapezoidal wood, so that the warriors inside the house can see the peasants outside, but the peasants outside cannot see the warriors inside. It is very ingenious in every way.
Tatami mats and "Oza-no-Ma" for the exclusive use of the feudal lord
When the lord of the Maeda family stays over, the Kita family, in welcoming him, guides him from the entrance called "Oshikidai" to the "Oza-no-Ma," a room reserved for the lord. The tatami mats leading up to the room are designed to prevent the lord from stepping on the edges of the tatami mats. Visitors can learn about the status of the feudal lord at that time by learning about the features of the Jumura Yashiki.
Kita Family Museum
In the museum attached to the house, old documents and cultural assets related to the Maeda family are on display. This is an old house in Noto and a recommended place to make interesting discoveries, so please enjoy the important cultural assets along with a guide from the head of the family!
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