Ito Moemon's Former Residence
About the building
This Japanese-style house is an old merchant house built by Manzo, Moemon's father, in 1863, the end of the Edo period. In the Japanese era name, 1863 AD is the 3rd year of Bunkyu. As a proof of the construction year, this house still has a wooden sign. From the Edo period to the Meiji period, this district was lined with merchant houses along the long road, and was a bustling post town where travelers stayed. This building had two entrances. The entrance on the right was for merchants and other commoners, and the entrance on the left was for inviting samurai.
Ito Moemon
Ito Moemon was born in Tateishi in 1850 at the end of the Edo period as the third son of Ito Manzo. He studied hard and spent the Meiji period in Tokyo under Yukichi Fukuzawa. In 1882, he worked as the first editor-in-chief of Jiji Shinpo, a newspaper founded by Yukichi Fukuzawa. He wrote several books in his lifetime that writing about economics was his job. In order to develop the sericulture industry, which was Japan's main industry in the Meiji period, he traveled around Japan and wrote a thick book. He wrote more than 500 pages of books on economics, but there were also light-hearted ones, such as a travelogue of a trip to Hakone during the New Year with Yukichi Fukuzawa and others.
Access
About a 6 minute walk from JR Kyushu Tateishi station
Tateishi, Yamaga-machi
Our Town
Our town merged with the neighboring city in 2005. Until then, the administrative name was Yamaga-machi.The problem of this town is the same as other towns in Japan, the large population decline.The population has shrunk to about a third of what it was at its peak, and is now below 6,000.The town is a rural area surrounded by low mountains with several rivers, but it has a very old history.Documents from the 8th century mention the place name Yamaga.From various periods of Japanese history, this area has left ruins, cultural assets and stories.However, there are no large castles in this district. There are no glittering shrines and temples. There are no ruins that tourists should definitely take pictures of. It is a very rustic town.Along with the ever-decreasing population, the historical value of this town continues to be lost. We would like more outsiders to know the historical value of this town. By telling many other people, we are connected to regaining our pride about the town. We want foreign tourists to visit this town. Fortunately, we can drink good water here, so we can get delicious vegetables and rice, and beef is also highly evaluated. Unfortunately, there are no expensive restaurants. You shop at the store and cook the best ingredients yourself in the kitchen of the house where you are staying. During your stay, we hope to find a few residents and meet them to create many conversations.