Kanazawa Castle was the home of the Maeda clan, who ruled from 1583 to the end of the Edo period (1867). I do not have many photos of the castle because it was pouring down with rain. We were guided around the grounds by a Japanese gentleman, who’s wife wanted him out of the home when he retired. So, he became an official guide at the castle to help non-Japanese speakers learn something about the place.
We learnt about the construction of the castle walls, designed to be functional on the outside to hinder attackers, and beautiful on the inside of the castle for aesthetics. Indeed, the construction of the castle walls was essential in repelling attackers, so the Japanese have been engineering solutions for a long time!
Outer stone wall with small stones to prevent a hand hold. Inner stone wall of beauty.
In the afternoon, we headed to the Nagamachi Bukuyashiki-ato area of Kanazawa, also known as the samurai district. Here are small lanes between old samurai houses, but there is surprisingly little to see.
We went inside one samurai house, belonging to the Family of Nomura. The rooms were small, but enhanced with beautifully-decorated screens or sliding doors opening up a view of a calming garden.
