Hikone Castle Museum

As I wrote in the previous post, hubby and I had been to Hikone Castle Park on 12th August. After seeing the Hikone Castle, we went to see Hikone Castle Museum which was located adjacent to the ticket office at the entrance area. At the ticket office, we paid 500 Yen per person as castle museum admission fee.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the City of Hikone, Hikone Castle Museum was opened on February 11, 1987. The museum building is a replica and reconstruction of Omote Goten (Front Hall) of Hikone Castle, which used to be the Hikone fief office during the Edo period. With annual revenue of 350,000 koku of rice during the early modern period, the Hikone fief was prosperous castle town where culture and traditions were fostered. The Ii family, the former daimyo (feudal lords) family which governed the Hikone fief for several hundred years, lived in Hikone Castle premises from 1622 onwards. The castle served as the residence for fourteen generations of the Ii family until the end of Japan's feudal age in 1868. The family still keeps a great number of art objects and craft works, as well as historical documents. The family collection comprises of more than 35,000 items that include arms and armor, calligraphies and paintings, Noh masks and costumes, Gagaku musical instruments, tea ceremony utensils, and pieces of furniture. These collections are exhibited in the museum.

Me standing with Hikonyan (Hikone city official mascot) in front of the entrance to Hikone Castle Museum

The museum has a display of many of the equipments of samurai warrior. In the Edo period, suits of armor, swords, trappings, bows and other arms were manufactured with utmost skill and craftsmanship as they were the most important possessions of the military class which ruled the country at that time. Consequently, arms and armors became objects of high artistic value. The Hikone fief’s samurai troops, known as the Ii family’s red guards, were outfitted in the famous red lacquered suits of armor; from the lord Ii himself down to the common soldier. The red guard troops were famous for their vigorous fighting.

Suit of armor in the Gusoku style having red lacquered iron plates laced with red silk braid. Owned by Ii Naonori (1848-1902), 19th century Edo period.

Suit of armor in the Gusoku style having red lacquered iron plates laced with blue silk braid. 19th century Edo period.

An iron riveted helmet of the Edo period

The battle of Sekigahara; color on paper. 19th century Edo period.

Tachi sword with Kunitsuna inscribed; 13th century Kamakura period.

Sword mountings for Daisho pair with design of the Ii family crests of igeta (well crib) and tachibana (citrus fruit) sprays scattered on red-lacquered scabbards. 18th century Edo period.

The Hikone fief lords appreciated the beauty of Yugen or the subtle and profound traditional aesthetics. The Noh play, which was highly valued as a formal entertainment of the military class, developed into its present form during the Edo period. The Noh costumes and other Noh properties exhibited in the museum are productions from early modern Japan. The museum has a display of variety of Noh masks and costumes with unique original designs which reflects the refined Japanese aesthetic sense. The display has more than 60 different types of Noh masks, including group of okina-type masks for the semi-divine old man, jo-(old man) masks, devil and ghost masks, and men and women masks.

Noh masks

Noh masks

Noh mask

Noh mask

Noh costumes

Noh costumes

Noh costumes

Ii Naoaki (1794-1850), 12th generation head of the Ii family, took a keen interest in the tradition of Gagaku court music and even performed the music himself. His collection of musical instruments used for Gagaku is noted as one of the best in Japan in quality and quantity. A four stringed lute called Biwa is displayed in the museum.

Four stringed lute Biwa

The world of suki or the tea ceremony was important as one of the necessary accomplishments of a samurai in the Edo period. Successive heads of the Ii family collected a great number of tea ceremony utensil masterpieces. These utensils showed the high status of the leading daimyo family in hereditary vassalage to the Tokugawa shogunate. Several tea ceremony utensils are on display in the museum.

Kettle and brazier of cast iron. 19th century Edo period.

In order to relieve the monotony of everyday lives, the aristocratic people of samurai era had elegant pastimes, like the decoration of a room with tasteful furniture and hanging scrolls of calligraphy or painting screens. These items are beautiful examples of handcraft in which utility and artistic values are combined. The museum has a display of several such items.

Hanging scroll (color on paper) of falcon on the rock created by Satake Eikai (1803-74). 19th century Edo period.

Pair of six-fold screen (ink on paper) indicating the view of Matsushima and Amanohashidate, which were created by Kano Eigaku (1790-1867). 19th century Edo period.

The Ogura collection of one hundred poems by one hundred poets. This was compiled by Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241) and calligraphed by Takebe Dennai. It is ink on paper hand scroll of Momoyama-Edo period, 16-17th century.

The Hikone clan Lord Ii family’s ancient documents, which are important cultural assets, as well as many special documents and historical materials, are on display in the museum. We came to know more about the daimyo’s lifestyle and political situations of the Edo era from these documents.

Letter of Inuzuka Geki, by Ii Naosuke. Important cultural property, Edo period dated 1847

A portion of the Letter of Inuzuka Geki

Gunsyo Ruijyu (Historical Material Library) edited by Hanawa Hokiichi, 18-19th century Edo period.

Gunsyo Ruijyu edited by Hanawa Hokiichi, 18-19th century Edo period.

Gunsyo Ruijyu edited by Hanawa Hokiichi, 18-19th century Edo period.

The Hikone Castle Museum building is a replica of Hikone Castle’s Omote Goten Hall, which was one of the main buildings of the castle during the Edo period. The Noh stage at the center of Omote Goten Hall and Lord Ii’s private quarters are also reproduced in their original form as wooden constructions. The historical Noh stage was originally constructed in the 12th year of Kansei era (1800) during the Edo period. Various rooms like Okuzashiki (guest) room, Ochin (lord’s relaxing) room, and Tenkoshitsu (tea ceremony) room, as well as garden of Lord Ii’s residence are exhibited in the museum.

Noh stage

Me sitting at a green tea drinking area for visitors

Okuzashiki room of Ii family residence

Ochin room of Ii family residence

Garden of Ii family residence

Garden of Ii family residence

After seeing various items displayed in the Hikone Castle Museum, Hubby and I went out of the museum at about 4.45 pm. The museum was about to close for the day. We had a nice time seeing the collection of various items of the Hikone fief’s Ii family possessions. At about 5 pm, we went out of the Hikone Castle premises. Outside the Omotemon gate exit of the castle premises, we saw a post box with a miniature model of Hikone Castle. We also saw a driver merrily moving around in Velotaxi cycle rickshaw taxi that is developed in Germany. We used this cycle rickshaw taxi to go back to Hikone railway station, which was about a kilometer away from the castle premises. It was fun to ride the Velotaxi cycle rickshaw. Later, we had dinner at a ramen shop and took a taxi to go to Hotel Route Inn, where we spend the night.

Hubby standing next to a post box with Hikone Castle model

Velotaxi cycle rickshaw

Me and driver of the Velotaxi cycle rickshaw

The next day, Hubby and I went to Okazaki in Aichi prefecture to meet hubby’s relatives. The day after that hubby went to play golf with his father while I had a nice time with my sister-in-law and her kids. I will write about these two days in the next post.

Me standing in front of Hikone railway station with the statue of Ii Naomasa