[Minamiaizu District, Fukushima Prefecture] The charm of Minamiaizu. Touring the precious cultural assets that remain in Minamiaizu

Minamiaizu District, which consists of Shimogo Town, Minami Aizu Town, Tadami Town, and Hinoe Matamura, is located in the southern part of the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, and is comparable to Kanagawa Prefecture. It is an area rich in nature, with areas such as Oze and Aizu Plateau.

NEFT has so far introduced relatively well-known sites in Minami Aizu such as ``Oze,'' ``Tonohetsuri,'' ``Ouchi-juku,'' ``Maezawa Magaraka Village,'' ``Hinoedagi Kabuki,'' ``Aizu Tajima Gion Festival,'' and ``Yunokami Onsen.'' We have introduced famous places, festivals, folk performing arts, hot springs, etc., but there is still much to see. Here, we will mainly introduce historical heritage sites that have been designated as cultural properties.

Okuaizu Museum houses over 5,000 important tangible folk cultural properties

The Oku-Aizu Museum is a museum that houses approximately 24,000 pieces of folk implements and tools that have been used by the people of Minami Aizu since recorded history. Among them are tools and folk tools used in rural areas, tools used by lumberjacks in the mountains and woodworkers who make raw materials for Aizu lacquerware, tools for producing drums, tools for catching fish in rivers, It contains 5,058 pieces of ``Oku-Aizu Mountain Village Production Tools and Folk Houses (Horse Inns)'', which are nationally important tangible folk cultural properties, such as means of transportation on mountain roads, and more than 3,000 of them are on permanent display.

Adjacent is a horse inn (Umayado/former Otake family residence/built in the middle of the Edo period/nationally important tangible folk cultural property), a dye shop (former Sugihara family residence/estimated to have been built in the late 18th century/designated important tangible folk cultural property by Minamiaizu Town), Former Inomata family residence / estimated to be built in the first half of the 18th century / designated as an important tangible folk cultural property by Fukushima Prefecture), former Sanno Chaya (year of construction unknown / designated as an important tangible folk cultural property by Minamiaizu Town), old folk house with thatched roof, wooden hut (reproduction)・Display of wooden tools) has been relocated, preserved, and displayed to the public.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Okuaizu Museum
• Address: 3692-20 Nishizawayama, Itozawa, Minamiaizu-cho, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-66-3077
• Opening hours: 9:00-16:00
• Closed: Thursdays from December to March (the following day if it falls on a holiday), New Year holidays
• Admission fee: Adults 300 yen, High school students 200 yen, Elementary and junior high school students 100 yen
• URL: Okuaizu Museum

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A typical mountain castle from the Sengoku period. Shizuyama Castle, the residence of the lord of Minamiaizu

Minamiaizu became the domain of the Naganuma clan, who were highly trusted by Minamoto no Yoritomo during the Kamakura period, and built the ruins of Shigiyama Castle on Aizutajima (Minamiaizu Town). During the Edo period, it came under the control of the Gamo clan and the Uesugi clan, and from the 1640s it remained under the direct control of the shogunate until the Meiji Restoration.

It is unknown when Shizuyama Castle was built, but according to existing ancient documents, it was captured by the Yamauchi clan in 1469, so it appears to have existed as a residence around that time. After that, ``Shushiyama Castle'' was regained by the Naganuma clan, but in 1590, the Naganuma clan followed the Date clan and moved to Sendai. After that, the Gamo clan, who became the lords of Aizu, became the castle owners, but in the Edo period, the castle was abandoned during the era of Yoshiaki Kato, the lord of Aizu (1627).

Shizuyama Castle is a mountain castle that climbs towards the former main castle compound from the Sengoku period, which was located on the summit of Mt. Atago (altitude 749m), and ruins remain throughout the Mt. Atago area. There are several entrances, but as you enter through the large torii gate in front of the castle, you will immediately find the ruins of a samurai residence. Afterwards, after passing through the stone walls of Karahori ruins and Daimon ruins, you will come to a plaza called "Kamisenjo" and "Shimosenjo". Here was the Honmaru and Ninomaru during the Edo period. Atago Shrine was built on the site of the old main enclosure at the top, but it was destroyed by lightning in 2015, and now only the shrine remains on the mountaintop overlooking the Aizu-Tajima city area.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Shizuyama Castle Ruins
• Address: Negoya, Tajima, Minamiaizu-cho, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-62-3000 (Minamiaizu Town Tourism and Products Association)
• Freedom to stroll
• URL: Shizuyama Castle Ruins

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Kanotsu Bansho, a checkpoint site built on the road to Echigo

"Kanozu Bansho" (Tadami Town) was a checkpoint on the Hachijurigoe Kaido (currently National Route 289) connecting Minamiaizu and Echigo (Niigata Prefecture). . During the Sengoku period, salt, fish, and daily necessities were brought into the Minami Aizu region using the Yasorigoe Highway. However, although it is a highway, it is a narrow road that passes through the mountainous area of ​​Okutadami, and along the way it has to cross Kurakake Toge (965m above sea level) and Kinone Pass (845m above sea level). It was called ``Hachijurigoe.''

The ``Kanotsu Bansho'' was commissioned by the local feudal lord, the Hasebe family, to monitor people and goods passing through the highway. The ``Former Hasebe Residence'', which stands on the site of the Kanozu Bansho, was built in the late Edo period, and is a magariya house with an L-shaped stable extending from the right side of the front. Due to its size and good state of preservation, it has been designated as an important cultural property of Fukushima Prefecture.

The Former Igarashi Family Residence, an important cultural property of the country, located right next to Kanozu Bansho, is a typical farm building in Minamiaizu, and was built in the middle of the Edo period (1743). The shape of the building is a rectangular house (later renovated slightly) with a middle gate structure with an entrance in the front.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Kanotsu Bansho/Former Hasebe Family Residence
• Address: 456 Ihira, Kanotsu, Tadami-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-82-5320 (Tadami Town Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Section)
• Opening hours: 10:00-16:00
• Closed: Mondays

• Facility name: Former Igarashi family residence
• Address: 437 Ihira, Kanotsu, Tadami-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-82-5320 (Tadami Town Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Section)

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Western-style architecture built in the Meiji era "Former Minamiaizu County Office"

The Minamiaizu region was included in Aizu County until the Edo period, but in the Meiji period it was divided into Kitaaizu county and Minamiaizu county, and a government office was built in Aizu Tajima in 1885 (Meiji 18).

The "Former Minamiaizu District Office" was built in 1885 and was used as a facility for Fukushima Prefecture until the new Fukushima Prefecture Tajima Joint Government Office Building was built in 1970 (Showa 45). The building was a two-story Western-style building, which was unusual at the time, and as it was no longer used as a government office, it was moved to its current location and was temporarily used as the Oku-Aizu Regional History and Folklore Museum (formerly the Oku-Aizu Museum). With the new construction of the Okuaizu Museum, it was decided to be preserved and opened to the public as the former Minamiaizu District Office. Important cultural property designated by Fukushima Prefecture.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Former Minamiaizu District Office
• Address: 4681-1 Tajima Maruyama-ko, Minamiaizu-cho, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-62-3848
• Opening hours: 9:00-16:00
• Admission fee: 200 yen for adults, 150 yen for high school students, 100 yen for elementary school students
• Closed: Tuesdays (the next day if it falls on a public holiday), New Year holidays
• URL: Minamiaizu District Office

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Kabuki stage in Minamiaizu, ``Daimomo no Butai'', a nationally important tangible folk cultural property

Folk performing arts based on Edo Kabuki have been passed down in the Minamiaizu region. It is said that this Kabuki performing art, which was started by people watching and imitating the Kabuki they saw in Edo on their way back from a visit to Ise, became popular throughout Minami-Aizu in the late Edo period, and it is said that there was a Kabuki troupe in each district. Currently, only ``Hinoedagi Kabuki'' is actually performed, but traces of it still remain in other areas.

``Omomo Butai'' (Minami Aizu Omomo District) is the only remaining stage other than Hinoemago where Kabuki was performed. This stage, built on the grounds of Komada Shrine, has a width of 7.6m and a depth of 5.58m. The roof is thatched, and local performing arts from the town are currently performed in early August. Important tangible folk cultural property of the country.

INFORMATION

• Facility name: Daimomo Stage
• Address: 164 Ihira, Omomo, Minamiaizu-machi, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0241-64-5711 (Inan Tourist Center)

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Minamiaizu is full of charm

In addition, there are other ancient temples in the Minamiaizu region that have been designated as important national cultural properties, such as Johoji Kannondo (Tadami Town) and Asahitaji Kannondo. Both of these temples are included in the ``Aizu Thirty-Three Kannon,'' so they will be introduced in separate sections.

The great nature and outdoor sports represented by Oze are also attractive features of Minamiaizu. There are also many small but unique hot springs such as Yunokami Onsen, Tokusa Onsen, and Azuki Onsen. The gourmet food is also full of mountain delicacies. Please come to Minamiaizu, which is full of nature, has plenty to see, and is close to the metropolitan area.