Sakurai Family Samurai House

Sakurai Family Samurai House & Kabeya Shusei-kan History Museum 可部屋集成館

• The History of the Sakurai Family
• Kabeya Shusei-kan History Museum
• Sakurai Family Samurai House
• Access
• Okuizumo Region

Jake Davies

The approach to the Kabeya Shusei-kan History Museum and Sakurai Family House in the mountains of Okuizumo

High up in the remote and sparsely inhabited region of Okuizumo in the Chugoku Mountains in Shimane Prefecture is not the place one would normally expect to come across a samurai estate. Yet here is where the Sakurai family, a fairly high ranking samurai clan, chose to relocate and establish themselves.

Built in 1738, the Sakurai samurai family home also functioned as a honjin, a guest house for the domain lords when visiting the area

The History of the Sakurai Family

In the early years of the Edo Period (1603-1868) of Japanese history the family settled in the Kabe district of the Hiroshima domain and were involved in iron production.

A few decades later in 1644 the family crossed over the Chugoku Mountains into the Okuizumo region of the Matsue Domain in what is now Shimane Prefecture and became one of nine samurai families that controlled iron production for the domain.

A little iron ore existed in Japan, but most iron and steel produced domestically came from iron sand, and the Okuizumo region contained the highest grade of iron sand in Japan.

Dominating the magnificent garden is a waterfall feeding a large koi pond

Kabeya Shusei-kan History Museum

On the approach driveway, before reaching the house and garden you pass the Kabeya Shusei-kan History Museum.

Though their family name was Sakurai, because they moved here from Kabe they were known as Kabeya.

In this modern building are displayed a few items connected to the iron industry, but mostly artworks of various kinds including folding screens and scrolls, samurai armor and swords, calligraphy, and everyday household items befitting high ranking samurai.

The section of the house, with views of the garden, where the visiting Daimyo would have stayed

Sakurai Family Samurai House

The Sakurai home also functioned as a honjin, a guest house for the daimyo. The iron industry was a major source of income for the domain based in Matsue Castle.

The iron was exported all over Japan, especially for the production of swords, so the feudal lord would periodically visit the area and would need to be provided with the highest quality of service during his stays.

The oldest building in the estate dates back to 1735, and the main house to 1738. One can peer into many of the buildings but under normal circumstances the main house cannot be entered (see the Experience Tour below).

The main attraction of the estate is the garden, built in the late 18th century when the daimyo was Matsudaira Fumai, a renowned tea master.

A waterfall descends the steep slope into a pond filled with koi carp. The dry gravel garden around the house has stepping stones composed of both circular and rectangular stones, a feature of Izumo style gardens.

The garden, as well as the wooded valley the estate is in, is particularly beautiful during the autumn when the colors of the leaves change.

Many of the historic buildings from the heyday of the estate still remain
Samurai armour, fans and calligraphy on display at the Kabeya Shusei-kan History museum in Okuizumo, Shimane

Access - Getting There

Sakurai Family Samurai House & Kabeya Shusei-kan History Museum
1655 Kamiai, Okuizumo-cho, Nita-gun, Shimane 699-1621
Tel: 0854 56 0800

Open from 9 am to 4.30 pm. Closed Mondays and from mid-December through to mid-March.

Entry to both the museum and the house & garden is 1,000 yen for adults. Garden only is 400 yen.

Sakurai House is accessible by bus bound for Utsutani from Izumo Minari JR Station (25 minutes). It is just a five minute walk from the last stop.

Little remains now of the old iron sand industry, though where the sand was excavated the land was turned into terraces for growing rice, and they still remain.

However, less than two kilometers down the narrow forested road from the Sakurai home is the Kamiai Tatara Lore Museum, free to enter and housed in one of the last, modern style tatara forges to operate.

Further downhill towards the towns and rail line is the Itohara Family Home and Museum, like the Sakurai the Itohara were a samurai clan that controlled the iron industry and their museum has much more on display about the old iron industry.

Finally there is the Tatara Sword Museum in Yokota which displays the whole iron production process as well as the swords made from Izumo steel. You can also seen iron being worked in a forge and swords being tested.

A convenient way to visit the Sakurai House is on an Experience Tour. The Okuizumo Tourist Office organize a variety of hands-on tours with activities that let visitors experience many authentic and traditional aspects of Japanese culture.

One of the most popular of such tours includes taking part in a tea ceremony inside the Sakurai House. Details are on their website: okuizumo.org/en/tour

Artwork from the collection of the Sakurai samurai family on display in the Kabeya Shusei-kan History Museum

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