Visiting Iriki-Fumoto's old samurai village

On the second day, we went around the northern part of Kagoshima Prefecture, such as Iriki (入来) in Satsumasendai city.

Taking on Prefectural Route 50, National Highways 504 and 328 and passing on a typical Japanese countryside, we arrived to Iriki-Fumoto old samurai village (入来麓武家屋敷群 -buke yashiki gun). Among with Chiran and Izumi-Fumoto, the village is known as one of the three major samurai residences of Shimazu clan.

The old samurai village divided by a stone wall made of cobblestone stones. This is the old national highway; from here several stone wall paths extend to the left and right.

The Kayabukimon (茅葺門) Gate is a symbol of Iriki's old samurai street. The gate itself was broken by typhoon gomi in August 2015, but it was repaired now.

The Old Masuda Family Residence (旧増田家住宅 kyu masuda-ke jyutaku). It is a samurai style house with thatched roof, but it was used to be a dentist's home built in the Meiji era. The two buildings are orthogonal and become consecutive buildings. The house at the back is a normal living space with dirt floor and the next one is only allowed to use the master, the eldest son and for their guests such as the feudal lord of Shimazu. There is a floor with veranda.

The stone walls that make up the fence build up a cobblestone. The preservation of this samurai village is focused on the fence, and each house is often rebuilt according to the modern life.