Over the years I have made quite a few trips throughout the Land of the Rising Sun and I have seen a fair part of the country, there are still many places that my wanderlust has not yet taken me to. Japan is ultimately too big and my time too limited for me to be able to set off more often to explore new territory. And when I finally have the opportunity to escape from everyday life, I am often drawn to regions I have visited before.
And so it happened that some time ago we ended up back in the city of Kanazawa, which I had visited about 10 years earlier for the first time. Fortunately, my memories were still quite fresh, so it was easy for me to find my way around and visit some of the places I had already seen on my first visit. These include, above all, the grounds of the former Kanazawa-jo samurai castle, which has recently been rebuilt and has thus become a major attraction right in the center of the city. However, in this blog post we are not going to focus on the castle, even though today we still want to follow in the footsteps of the samurai.
Kanazawa is located between the Sea of Japan and the snow-capped peaks of the Japanese Alps and is now the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. During the Edo period, it was the center of Kaga Province, which was ruled and administered by the powerful Maeda clan.
At that time, Kaga was one of the richest and most culturally significant regions in Japan. Instead of military expansion, it focused on art, education, and crafts, promoting a cultural renaissance that has earned the city the nickname “Little Kyoto” (Shō-Kyōto) to this day. Samurai lived in elegant residences, geisha entertained guests in teahouses, and artisans perfected techniques such as gold leaf finishing and Kaga-Yūzen silk dyeing.
Unlike many other Japanese cities, Kanazawa was spared bombing and destruction during World War II, which is why numerous historic districts have been preserved to this day. And today we will focus on one of these historic districts.
Today we're going to take a little tour through the Nagamachi district, a small quarter of the city where you can get a pretty authentic impression of what it might have looked like here a few centuries ago. I've brought along a whole bunch of photos again, and while we look at them, I'll try to tell you a little about the history and background of this place.
As I mentioned earlier, during the Edo period, Kanazawa was the seat of the Maeda daimyō, who were among the most influential lords in Japan. Their ancestral castle, Kanazawa-jo, naturally needed protection and administration, which required a retinue of hundreds of samurai families.
These warriors lived with their families in special districts around the castle. The best-preserved area today is Nagamachi-Bukeyashiki, literally “Nagamachi Samurai District.”
This is where the residences of high-ranking samurai were located, but also smaller houses for lower-ranking warriors. Proximity to the castle reflected social rank—the closer to the castle, the higher the status.
The neighborhood is characterized by narrow streets lined with earth-plastered walls and elegant but mostly hidden residences that offer an authentic glimpse into the life of the warrior elite. Even though on your tour you won't encounter any samurai, but rather other curious tourists like us, this neighborhood still exudes a very special atmosphere.
If you take your time and let the other visitors rush ahead, you can quickly forget the noisy and hectic modern city center, which is actually only a few minutes away.
And taking your time is very important so that you can immerse yourself, at least for a moment, in an era that has long since passed. The samurai era ended around 150 years ago during the Meiji period, when feudal Japan began to transform itself into a modern country that sought to operate on an equal footing with the great powers of the time.
The Japanese samurai were not only warriors of the past. The Edo period was a long period of peace, and their martial arts skills were rarely needed at that time. Many of them therefore often worked as administrative officials and combined their living quarters with their work areas.
The architecture of the time reflected both status and restraint: simple and secluded on the outside, but often very elegant on the inside, with carefully selected materials and artistic gardens that radiated peace and harmony.
The tall, ochre-colored walls surrounding the properties are particularly striking and are so characteristic of the neighborhood. This sign tells us a little more about them, and I had it translated:
Construction of clay and stone walls around samurai houses
The thick walls are made of a mixture of clay and gravel, which is hardened after application. To increase stability, the lower part of the wall is reinforced with stacked, round, hard river stones—these stones are often already cracked or split, which increases their resistance.
To protect against rain, the surface of the clay wall is covered with a small shingle roof. This roof prevents water from hitting the wall directly, thus contributing to the longevity and weather resistance of the structure.
In winter, the walls are often covered with rice straw mats to protect them from snow and moisture—a sight that is typical of Kanazawa during the cold season.
Even though we weren't the only ones looking around during our tour, I usually managed to block out the other people who were out and about around me. With a little patience, you suddenly find yourself almost alone and undisturbed...
...and was able to take a few photos almost as I pleased. After all, I was just a tourist myself, traveling along one of the usual routes that so many other visitors had taken before me.
But as you can see, my patience paid off and I managed to take a whole bunch of pictures that make it look like I was here all by myself. But Kanazawa is a very popular tourist destination, which become quite evident here in this neighborhood.
And if you look closely, the modern city isn't that far away. I tried to banish it from my photos, but it kept creeping into the background of my pictures. But then again, we are now in the 21st century and no longer in the Edo period.
But regardless, at least for a short while, the here and now was far away. The beige walls we walked along seemed to lead us further and further back into the past, which can be encountered in Kanazawa not only in this former samurai district, but also in many other places. As already mentioned, the castle complex was also very close by and on that day it was to be our next destination.
A special feature of the Nagamachi samurai district are the numerous canals and small waterways that run between the narrow alleys and in front of the clay walls. They have been part of the cityscape for centuries and had both practical and symbolic functions.
During the Edo period, these small canals were used to supply samurai households with fresh water. The water came from a sophisticated irrigation system that was channeled from the mountains into the city.
The waterways also made it possible to quickly access water for firefighting, as fires were a major hazard in a city full of wooden houses. Unfortunately, Kanazawa was not spared from such disasters in earlier times.
The small canals also served as natural barriers that divided and demarcated the neighborhood, while also providing a certain degree of security.
In addition to their practical function, watercourses were also an expression of quality of life and status. In Japanese culture, flowing water was considered a symbol of purity and continuity. A property with direct access to a clear watercourse was not only practical, but also gave the house some prestige.
The canals in the Nagamachi district have been preserved to this day and contribute greatly to the special atmosphere. When walking through the narrow streets, you can often hear the splashing and rushing of the water. The city of Kanazawa carefully maintains this historic system so that visitors can still get an impression of how closely nature, everyday life, and architecture were intertwined in the lives of the samurai.
Some samurai houses have been preserved to this day and are open to visitors, including the famous Nomura-ke, the former residence of the Nomura family. These houses impressively demonstrate how wealthy samurai families lived — with tatami rooms, precious woodwork, and artistically designed gardens.
But in most places, what goes on behind the old walls remains hidden even today. Some of these residences are likely still owned by the same families and may house one or two interesting treasures. Although many historical artifacts are on display in various small and large exhibitions and museums, there are probably still a few surprises hidden behind the walls and gates of this neighborhood — just as there were several centuries ago.
And with that, we finish our tour of the Nagamachi Bukeyashiki district for today. The era of the samurai is long gone, but in places like this, it can suddenly come back to life, at least for a moment.
This old district of Kanazawa is an authentic piece of Japanese history that should not be missed when visiting the city. It tells of the power of the Maeda family, the everyday life of the warriors and their families, and the unique culture that made Kanazawa the “little sister of Kyoto.” Anyone coming to Kanazawa should definitely take the time to stroll through Nagamachi—preferably with a detour to a samurai house to experience the spirit of the Edo period up close.
I have a whole bunch of other photos from Kanazawa and will of course show you more of them when I get the chance. So be sure to check back here soon for new pictures and impressions from the Land of the Rising Sun....
