Members of the Nomura family in Kanazawa were administrators to the Maeda lords who ruled over the city. They had a residence in the Naga Machi Buke Yashiki District, and it is now open to the public as an introduction to what life might have been like in an upper-class home in feudal Japan.
Nomura Samurai House in Kanazawa (photo: Víctor Bautista/flickr)
Nomura Samurai Family Residence 野村家屋敷跡 lets visitors enjoy beautiful rooms with fusuma screen artwork done by the Maeda personal painter. Elegant details include coffered Japanese cypress ceilings and lush tassels on screens.
Interior of Nomura Samurai House in Naga Machi Buke Yashiki District, Kanazawa (photo: Víctor Bautista/flickr)
The garden is small but exquisitely detailed; one of the Japanese bayberry trees is over 400 years old. The rocks and water beckon the visitor to meditate on the view. It contains all the usual characteristics of Japanese esthetical refinement: a waterfall, a small pond hosting Koi carps, and various stone features such as a bridge, lanterns, and storied towers. On March, 2009, the Michelin Green Guide Japan awarded a 2-star ranking to the garden and in 2003 the American Journal of Japanese Gardening ranked the Nomura House garden as the third best in Japan.
Garden at the Nomura samurai house in Kanazawa’s Nagamachi samurai district (photo: jpellgen/flickr)
The Nomura House is open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm from April to September, and until 4:30 pm from October to March. It is closed December 26th and 27th. It costs 500 yen for an adult to visit, 400 yen for high school students, or 250 yen for elementary and junior high school students. A tea-ceremony room upstairs allows visitors to enjoy tea in a setting from a different age for 300 yen.
Samurai Nomura House – Samurai Armour Display (photo: A7design1/flickr)
The website is in Japanese but has beautiful photographs: www.nomurake.com
Address is 1-3-32 Nagamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa.
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