Former Residence of Lord Hotta, Historic residence and garden in Sakura, Japan.
The Former Residence of Lord Hotta is a wooden house with elevated floors and paper sliding doors arranged across multiple interconnected rooms and hallways. The structure demonstrates traditional Japanese building techniques applied to a large residential compound designed for a high-ranking household.
The house was built in 1890 for Masatomo Hotta, the final ruler of Sakura Domain. Its construction marked a period when Japan was transitioning away from its feudal past toward a modern nation-state.
The tatami rooms and reception areas reveal how Japanese nobility lived and organized their daily routines during the Meiji era. These spaces show the customs and habits that shaped life in a lord's household of that time.
The residence is about 20 minutes on foot from Keisei Sakura Station, making it accessible by public transport with a brief walk. The grounds include steps and uneven paths between buildings, so comfortable walking shoes are helpful when exploring the compound and gardens.
The garden was designed to incorporate the surrounding landscape into its layout, creating shifting views from different points within the grounds. This approach blurs the boundary between the cultivated space and the natural environment beyond it.
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