Maezawa Koya Village, a Japanese original landscape that remains with many traditional "masters" [Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture]

In Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture Magaraya, with thatched roofs and L-shaped main buildings , and among them, 13 of them are gathered in Maezawa Village.

Aizu lifestyle of living in the same house as a horse

Maezawa Magariya Shuraku is located in the former Tateiwa Village (now Minami Aizu Town), Aizu region, Fukushima Prefecture. This area is now a plateau, and ski resorts are the main tourist resources, and it is a very cold and snowy area in winter.

The term "Kouya" "Kouya, Kakuya, Kakuya, Kakuya, Kakuya" , but it is a form of buildings that represent Japanese farmers, and was mostly found throughout Japan from the Edo to the Meiji period, especially in the eastern Japan region.

In an era when powered farming machinery such as combines were not available, cattle and horses were very useful for farming, and in warmer areas, livestock sheds are built separately from the main house.

However, in cold regions, livestock sheds outside are cold, and there are many obstacles, such as having to leave the house to care for the horses, and what was conceived was the form of farmers connecting the main house and the livestock shed

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

In eastern Japan, including Aizu, horses were kept for farming and transportation. The simplest way to build a stable (Umaya) in the main house is to simply turn it into a flat surface (Naoya (Sugoya), but in the Aizu region, most of it has become a curvy.

It's not clear why they made it a concubine, but in thatched roof houses, the hearth was kept on fire all day to dry out the roof, so not only the living space but also the stables in the same building were warm and comfortable.

More than 100 song houses remain in the Aizu region

The traditional farmer's architecture, called the conqueror, almost disappeared as farming became more mechanized, and as the roofing material was replaced by thatched roofing to semi-permanent tiles and iron plates. However, there are still over 100 other curators in the Aizu region. Of course, we don't keep horses now, but it is a valuable cultural heritage for learning about old life.

"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 earthen storehouses were burned down due to a major fire. The residents, who had lost their homes, spent three years rebuilding the entire household into the same old form, with the help of people in the surrounding area, and a village of congregations connected to the present day was born.

Eventually, the age of horses ended and the rebuilding of the curlers was being considered in the 1960s, and the idea of ​​protecting the original Japanese landscape of locals and the former Tateiwa Village came to fruition, and almost all of them were preserved as they were, and the entire village was made public as the Maezawa Celebration.

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

Maezawa Koya Village is not a tourist facility but is actually used as a place of living. Though you cannot visit private homes, there are also Maezawa Koya Museum, which displays traditional folk tools and materials on traditional craftsmen, as well as soba and cafes.

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 Kuma Village is designated as a preservation district of the country's traditional buildings

Maezawa Kuya Village <Information>

• Name: Maezawa Celebration
• 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.

Celebrity 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.

Soba Dokoro Composer <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.

Old Japanese-style cafe Irori <Information>

• Facility name: Old Japanese-style 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

The village does not have tourist facilities such as restaurants or souvenir shops, but there are signs that allow you to take a leisurely stroll through the old-fashioned mountain village scenery. Since it is not a village that has become a tourist destination like Maezawa Kugaya Village, it is all about living, so please walks within the scope of common sense so that it does not cause trouble for the residents.

Mizuhiki Village <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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