Kakunodate is an old castle town located on the northern part of the Senboku
Plain.
Located along the banks of the Tamagawa and Hinokinaigawa Rivers and cradled
on three sides by mountains, this town is known both for its historic samurai
mansions and the beautiful blossoming cherry trees that line the streets. Popular
with tourists from all over the world, it has an atmosphere truly appropriate
to its nickname of “the Little Kyoto.”
The town layout we know today was established in 1620 by the Ashina family.
With a plaza known as “the firebreak” at its center, the town was divided into
northern and southern sections. To the north, named the Uchimachi or Inner
Town, the samurai built their houses. Townsfolk and merchants lived in the
Tomachi or Outer Town, to the south.
In the 390-odd years since it was established, this town layout has remained
essentially unchanged. The Inner Town continues to be a district of samurai
mansions side-by-side, their black fences draped about by weeping cherry trees.
Japan has designated the street these mansions face as a Historically Significant
Traditional Buildings Preseveration Area, and they are protected as cultural
artifacts.
The Outer Town, in stark contrast to the stately elegance of the Inner
Town, is a bustling merchant house district, but the sense of history remains.
Many old buildings and storehouses remain to this day, and the townsfolk treasure
these spaces even as they used them as shops and restaurants.
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