Walking Kusano, a historical place in Kurume

On December 6, we made a day trip to Kusano (草野), a district located at the foot of the Minou (耳納) Mountain Ranges in the east of Kurume city, Fukuoka. It's little far from the central Kurume, and it takes about 40 minutes by car.

The Kusano area has been developed as a castle town of the Kusano clan between Heian and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. In the Edo era, it was crowded as a post town on the Bungo-kaido old highway leading to Hita from Kurume. Today there are not only many shrines and temples but also some Japanese and Western buildings were built between Meiji and Taisho periods, and creating a traditional townscape of Japan.

The Kusano Historical Museum (草野歴史博物館 -rekishi hakubutsukan). It was first built as the Kusano Bank head office in 1911 and was used as the Bank of Fukuoka Kusano branch after the war. The city bought and refurbished in 1984 and opened as a fork museum to the public. In the museum, you can see the history of Kusano region and its surroundings and ancient documents dedicated to the clan.

The Yamabenomichi Culture Hall (山辺道文化館 -bunkakan) is a resting facility for tourists. Built in 1914, it has been designated as the Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the government.