Former Yokota Family Residence

Overview

The Former Yokota Family Residence is a samurai house believed to have been built in the first half to the middle of the 19th century. It retains the typical layout and structure of a mid-ranking samurai residence in Matsushiro and was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1986. Nagano City undertook preservation and landscaping work, and it opened to the public in 1992. Visitors can see the long gate (nagaya-mon), the main house (partially two stories), a detached house for retired family members (inikiya), a storehouse (dozo), a garden with distant mountain views, a vegetable garden, and a flowing stream, providing a tangible sense of the lives of mid-ranking samurai during the Edo period. The Yokota family produced many prominent figures from the late Edo period through the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, including Yokota Ei, known for the "Tomioka Diary," as well as a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and a Minister of Railways. A visit to the Former Yokota Family Residence offers an understanding of the life and culture of samurai at the time, as well as a deeper appreciation for the history and culture of Matsushiro. Experience the life of a samurai during the Edo period firsthand!