Samurai residence

Japanese: 武家屋敷 - ぶけやしき

A general term for the houses and grounds where samurai lived, as well as the residential areas. Samurai housing in Japan began in the Kamakura period, and in the Muromachi period a style of samurai housing called Shoin-zukuri was created, but it was not until the Edo period, when separation of soldiers and farmers led samurai to live in castle towns and build samurai residences, that it developed its own unique style and scenery.

[Fujino Tamotsu]

Town layout and samurai residences

Castle towns were laid out according to a set plan, with samurai residences where samurai lived and town residences where townspeople lived, centered around the daimyo's castle, but because the layout of the town required an orderly city plan based on a grid, samurai residences were formed as separate residential areas for samurai, separated from the town residences. In Edo, bancho (banchi) districts where hatamoto residences were established, and later Kandayama and Ogawamachi rapidly became the residences of hatamoto, but with the implementation of the alternate attendance system, the areas of Marunouchi, Kasumigaseki, and Nagatacho became urban areas for daimyo residences. Edo was a special case among castle towns, but generally samurai residences were larger than town residences. In Nagaoka, Echigo, there were 125 cho of samurai residences and 34 cho of town residences; in Kanazawa, Kaga, the size of the samurai land was three times that of the town land; and in Kagoshima, Satsuma, the ratio was 7/10 of the samurai land to 3/10 of the town land. Separate residential areas were created for samurai residences according to their rank, with upper and middle-class samurai residences often located in kuruwa (enclosures) or adjacent urban areas, and lower-class samurai residences such as foot soldiers on the outskirts of urban areas. In Sendai, Mutsu, the towns where samurai of the rank of kumihito or higher lived were called "cho," which was differentiated from the "cho" where foot soldiers, kobito, and townspeople lived. Furthermore, resident samurai often created samurai residences scattered throughout rural areas.

[Fujino Tamotsu]

Format and Features

The style of residence was usually a single-family house, but lower-ranking samurai such as foot soldiers lived in tenement houses (two houses or several houses in a row) called group houses. The size of these houses varied depending on the domain. The architectural style was a simplified shoin-zukuri style, and in addition to a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and entrance hall, they were equipped with a parlor, study, and teahouse. They were surrounded by walls and had gates, and had a porch at the entrance, giving them a different atmosphere from the town houses inhabited by townspeople. The distinctive feature of samurai houses was that they were not owned by individual samurai, but were official residences rented by the domain. Therefore, whenever samurai were promoted or transferred, they moved to a house appropriate to their status. There were various regulations depending on the domain regarding the furniture that could be carried when they moved. After the Meiji Restoration, they became privately owned, but today there are very few old castle towns that retain the style and scenery of samurai houses.

[Fujino Tamotsu]

"Edo Kiriezu Ogawamachi Ezu"
This is a depiction of the samurai estates of the Edo period. It corresponds to the western half of the current Kanda district of Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Edo Castle is within the moat at the top (south) of the illustration. The residences of daimyo (feudal lords) are those with crests, while those without are those of hatamoto (vassals of the shogun) and gokenin (vassals of retainers). The Kanda River flows below (north). Owariya version, published in 1850 (Kaei 3), held at the National Diet Library ">

"Edo Kiriezu Ogawamachi Ezu"

Nagamachi Samurai Residence Site
The remains of samurai residences remain in the Nagamachi area of Kanazawa City. The area was once home to many residences of Kaga feudal lords, and the earthen walls and stone pavement are reminiscent of the past. The Onosho irrigation canal runs along the earthen walls. Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture ©Shogakukan ">

Nagamachi Samurai Residence Site

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

武士が居住する住居と敷地、およびその居住区を総称する名辞。日本の武家住宅は鎌倉時代におこり、室町時代には書院造(しょいんづくり)という武家住宅の様式を生み出したが、それが独自の様式と景観をもつに至ったのは、江戸時代、兵農分離によって武士が城下町に集居し、武家屋敷を建設してからである。

［藤野　保］

町割と武家屋敷

城下町は一定の計画による町割(まちわり)によって、大名の居城を中心に、武士が居住する武家屋敷と町人が居住する町屋敷がつくられたが、町割に際しては、整然とした碁盤割の都市計画が要求されたため、町屋敷とは区画された武士専用の居住区である武家屋敷が形成された。江戸は、旗本屋敷である番町(ばんちょう)が成立し、のち神田山(かんだやま)、小川町(おがわまち)が急速に旗本の屋敷地となったが、参勤交代制の実施によって、丸の内、霞(かすみ)が関、永田町一帯は大名屋敷の市街地となった。江戸は城下町としては特殊な例であるが、一般に武家屋敷は町屋敷に比べて大きい。越後(えちご)の長岡では、武家屋敷125町に対して町屋敷は34町であり、加賀の金沢では、侍地の広さは町地に3倍し、薩摩(さつま)の鹿児島では、侍地7分に対して町地3分という割合であった。武家屋敷はその身分によって別個の居住区がつくられ、上級・中級の武家屋敷は郭(くるわ)やそれに接した市街地に、足軽など下級の武家屋敷は市街地の周辺に配置する例が多い。陸奥(むつ)の仙台では、組士以上の武士が居住する町を「丁(ちょう)」とよび、足軽・小人(こびと)・町人が居住する「町(ちょう)」と区別している。また在郷の武士は、農村に武家屋敷を散在してつくる例が多い。

［藤野　保］

形式と特色

住居の形式は、普通一戸建てであるが、足軽など下級武士は、組屋敷とよばれる長屋(ながや)（二戸建てまたは連続形式の数戸建て）に住んだ。その規模は藩によってまちまちである。建築様式は、簡略化された書院造を用い、居間、寝間、台所、玄関の間のほか、座敷、書斎、茶屋などを備えている。周囲に塀を巡らして門を設け、入口に玄関をつけて町人の住む町屋敷と趣(おもむき)を異にしている。武家屋敷の特色は、武士個人の所有ではなく、藩より貸与された官舎であるところにある。そのため、武士は昇進や転任のたびに、身分に見合った屋敷へと移った。移転によって持ち運びのできる家具についても、藩によっていろいろの規定があった。明治維新後は個人所有となったが、今日、武家屋敷の様式と景観を残す旧城下町はきわめて少ない。

［藤野　保］

『江戸切絵図　小川町絵図』
江戸時代の武家地を描いたもの。現在の東京都千代田区神田地区の西半分にあたる。図中上方（南）の堀の内が江戸城である。紋所のあるのが大名屋敷で、無紋は旗本・御家人の屋敷。下方（北）を流れるのが神田川。尾張屋版　1850年（嘉永3）刊国立国会図書館所蔵">

『江戸切絵図　小川町絵図』

長町武家屋敷跡

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