The Kitamae-sen Era Museum (Former Ozawa Residence)

Overview

The Kitamae-sen Era Museum (Former Ozawa Residence) is a shop and residence located in Chuo-ku, Niigata City, that belonged to the Ozawa family, merchants who flourished in Niigata-machi from the late Edo period. In the late Edo period, the family operated under the name "Ozawa Ya Shichisuke" as rice merchants. At the beginning of the Meiji period, the head of the family changed his name to "Shichisaburo" and ventured into kaisen (coastal shipping) management. They expanded into transportation, warehousing, wholesale rice trading, land ownership, and the petroleum business, becoming one of Niigata's leading merchant families. Successive heads of the family also held important positions in Niigata's political and financial circles. The series of structures comprising this wealthy merchant's mansion, which grew during the Meiji period, remains almost entirely intact. Within the approximately 1600 square meter site facing Kamiookawa-mae-dori are buildings (approximately 860 square meters of floor space) including the main house and storehouses. On the south side of the property, along Shian-koji alley, the main house and tool sheds stand side-by-side. Based on scorch marks on the remaining openings of the tool sheds and graffiti on the onigawara (demon tiles), it is believed that they were built before the great fire of August 1880 (Meiji 13), and the main house was rebuilt immediately afterward. It is one of the oldest remaining Machiya (traditional townhouse) in old Niigata-machi. The main house consists of a flat-entry shop connected to a gable-roofed section, preserving the typical Niigata Machiya style with its segai-zukuri (a type of construction), windowed shutters, and protruding second floor. Furthermore, from the mid-to-late Meiji period, the Ozawa family expanded the property northward. In 1909 (Meiji 42), they constructed a household goods storehouse, along with additions such as a new parlor and detached parlor, and created a garden. The new parlor shows similarities to the Tsubame Kikan (former Saito Residence, completed in 1908 (Meiji 41), relocated to Hakusan Park), which was connected to the Ozawa family through marriage, exhibiting sophisticated craftsmanship. The wooden fence (east fence) along Kamiookawa-mae-dori and the view of the pine tree seen through it create a townscape reminiscent of a port city. This is a landscape frequently depicted in 'Sakyū Monogatari' (Dune Story), a work by the painter Miyoshi Teikichi, who spent his childhood in Mosaku-koji alley. These buildings and gardens together form the mansion of a wealthy merchant of the Meiji era. The Japanese garden, believed to have been built at the end of the Meiji era along with the construction of the household goods storehouse and new parlor, shows traditional garden techniques in its stonework, yet also reflects the then-modern trend of using lawns to make the garden a social and living space. The plantings feature Japanese black pine as the centerpiece, with azaleas placed around it. Many of the stones used are from various places, transported by ship, including Kishu stone, Mikage stone, and Sado red pebbles. There is also a stone lantern made by Shimizu Rokuhei, a Kyoto-based potter. This garden, which brought together garden materials from various locations, conveys the lifestyle of wealthy merchants in the Meiji era.