文武学校
Close to Matsushiro Castle and across the road from the former Saneda Residence is the remarkable Bunbu Gakko (文武学校) - an Edo Period training school for young samurai, established by the local feudal lord in Matsushiro.
Bunbu Gakko is a wonderfully preserved set of buildings and includes tatami-floored classrooms and a courtyard where students practiced Japanese martial arts including kyudo - Japanese archery - judo and kendo.
The Bunbu School was constructed in 1853 by the daimyo (feudal lord) Yukinori Sanada and was the han (domain) school for the sons of the Sanada clan and its important clan followers of samurai rank. The students also studied literature, Japanese kanji and western artillery techniques, as the spread of western military technology was gaining ground in Japan during this troubled time as the country verged on civil war.
Before being preserved as a national monument of historic interest, the Bunbu School was used as a normal elementary school until 1953.
Bunbu Gakko
Matsushiro 250-1
Hours: 9am-5pm
Admission: Adults 200 yen
Visitors to Matsushiro may also wish to visit Matsushiro Daihonei - a tunnel complex built with Korean slave labor to house the Japanese Emperor and NHK in the event of a US invasion of Japan in WWII.
© JapanVisitor.com
Like this blog? Sign up for the JapanVisitor newsletter
Halloween Masks
Books on Japan
Tags
Japan History
Martial Arts
Samurai
Nagano
Matsushiro
No comments:
Post a Comment