[Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture] The entire village is a mackerel house, an original Japanese scenery "Maezawa Magaraya Village"

In Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima PrefectureMusician (Magaya/Magariya)With a thatched roof,A traditional farmhouse with an L-shaped main building.There are many remaining, and 13 of them are concentrated in Maezawa village.

Aizu lifestyle of living in the same house as a horse

『Maezawa Magariya Village” is located in the former Tateiwa Village (currently Minamiaizu Town) in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture. This area is on a plateau, and now the main tourist attraction is the ski resort, and the area is cold and snowy in the winter.

"Song artist" iscomposer, Magariya, Magariya, Magariya,curve house、curved houseThe name may change slightly depending on the region, but it is the shape of a building that represents a Japanese farmhouse, and from the Edo to the Meiji period there were many throughout Japan, especially in eastern Japan. In the days when there were no powered agricultural machines such as combines, cows and horses were very useful for farming, and in warm regions, livestock sheds were built separately from the main house. However, in cold regions, the outdoor stables are cold and there are many problems such as having to leave the house to take care of the horses, so this idea was devised. A farmhouse shape that connects the main house and livestock shedThat's how it was.

Even in the cold of winter, the whole house is warmed by the hearth, making it comfortable.

In eastern Japan, including Aizu, horses were bred for farming and transportation. An easy way to build a stable (stable) next to the main house is to make it flat (sugoya), but in the Aizu region, most houses are curved. I'm not sure why they chose the curved house, but in houses with thatched roofs, a fire was kept in the hearth all day long to dry the roof, so not only the living space but also the stables in the same building were kept warm and comfortable. is.

More than 100 song houses remain in the Aizu region

The traditional farmhouse architecture known as a songhouse changed as agricultural mechanization progressed, eliminating the need to keep horses for farming, and as roofing materials changed from thatch to semi-permanent tiles or iron plates. He almost disappeared. however, Only in the Aizu region are there still more than 100 song houses left.Of course, we don't have horses anymore, but they are a valuable cultural heritage that helps us understand how people lived in the past.

"Maezawa village" where 13 music houses still exist

Maesawa Village is a small village with about 20 houses, 13 of which are music houses. 10 of the 13 houses have thatched roofs (three have had their roofs replaced), and the buildings are still used as residences today, with the stables having been renovated in various ways. .

The Maesawa village began in the 1590s during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, and the horse-headed Kannon and Marikishin deity are enshrined within the village, which shows how much horses were valued.In 1907 (Meiji 40), all buildings except the four storehouses were destroyed by a large fire. The displaced residents, with the help of people in the surrounding area, spent three years rebuilding all the houses to their original appearance, and the Magaru village that still exists today was born. In the 1960s, when the era of horses came to an end and the idea of ​​rebuilding the song house was being considered, the ideas of the local people and the former Tateiwa Village to preserve the original Japanese landscape bore fruit, and it was preserved almost as it was. , The entire village was opened to the public as the ``Maezawa Magariya Village''.

"Maezawa Magariya Village" designated as a national traditional building preservation district

``Maezawa Magaraya Village'' is not a tourist facility, but a village that is actually used as a place of living, and although you cannot tour the private houses, there is a walking path, and there are old-fashioned kagaraya and traditional folk tools. The ``Maezawa Kakeru Museum'' exhibiting materials and materials, as well as a soba restaurant and cafe, are also open.

The village is dotted with stone statues of Bato Kannon and the God of Horsepower, as well as storehouses that survived the great fire of 1907, a thatched-roofed water mill, a shrine, and Yakushi-do hall, all of which are scattered throughout the village. There is an idyllic landscape that resembles the original landscape. You can see the entire village from a hill a little further away.

``Maezawa Kakeru Village'' isNational traditional building preservation districtis specified.

INFORMATION

• Name: Maezawa Kakeru Village
• Address: Maesawa, Minamiaizu-cho, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-72-8977 (Maezawa Scenery Preservation Society)
• Visiting period: April to November
• Visiting hours: 8:30-16:30
• Tour fee: 300 yen for adults, 150 yen for high school students and younger, (free for preschoolers and town residents)
• Official URL: Maezawa Kakeru Village Homepage

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``Megaya Museum'' where you can see the structure of a songwriter's house and its daily utensils

The ``Song Music Museum'' was relocated from the neighboring former Inamura Village (now Minamiaizu Town) in order to preserve and exhibit the music houses of the Aizu region. The architectural style is the same as Maezawa village, and it was built in the late Meiji period.

The museum exhibits folk implements and other items, and you can also tour the building. The Buddha statues enshrined in the parlor in the back are the ``Standing Statue of Fudo Myoo and Nidoji'', which are designated tangible cultural properties by Minamiaizu Town. It is clear that the song house, where you can watch the horses from the comfort of your living room with an irori hearth, was the wisdom of living with horses in a snowy country. The only place in the Maezawa Magaya Village where you can see the inside of a songhouse is the Maezawa Magaya Museum.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Song artist museum
• Opening period: April to November
• Admission fee: Free

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``Soba Chokyokuya'' where you can enjoy local specialty handmade soba noodles

``Soba Restaurant Kakuya'' is a soba restaurant that operates out of a private house in Maezawa Village. The L-shaped stable part has been remodeled and is now the entrance. You can enjoy handmade soba noodles made with buckwheat flour, a specialty of the Tateiwa area, including the Maesawa village.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Soba restaurant
• Business period: April to November
• Business hours: 10:30-16:00
• Official URL: https://tateiwa-nousan.jp/magariya.html

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Take a break while strolling at Kominka Cafe Irori

``Old Folk House Cafe Irori'' is a cafe located in an unoccupied thatched-roof house in the village, and is recommended for a stop on your way out for a walk. There is also a direct sales shop selling specialty products and traditional crafts.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: “Old folk house cafe Irori”
• Business period: April to November
• Business days: Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, holidays
• Business hours: 10:00-15:00

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``Mizuhiki village'' has a beautiful tranquil mountain village scenery

``Mizuhiki village'' is a village where there are 7 songhouses remaining. During the Meiji period, all the houses were destroyed in a huge fire, but it was later rebuilt.

Take a leisurely stroll through the traditional mountain village scenery

There are no tourist facilities such as restaurants or souvenir shops in the village, but there are information signs and you can take a leisurely stroll in the traditional mountain village scenery.It is not a touristic village like Maezawa Magariya Village, but is a place for people to live, so please use common sense when walking around so as not to disturb the residents.

INFORMATION

• Name: Mizuhiki village
• Address: Mizuhiki, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture
• Contact: Minamiaizu Town Tourism and Products Association Tateiwa Tourism Center
• Phone number: 0241-64-5611
• Free to walk around *This is not a tourist facility.
• URL: Tourism Aizu homepage

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