Takizawa Honjin, Historical inn building in Aizuwakamatsu, Japan
The Takizawa Honjin is a guest house building in Aizuwakamatsu constructed with a thatched roof and traditional wooden structure featuring tatami mat rooms. The structure preserves its original layout and architectural details typical of lodgings built to serve traveling feudal lords.
The building was constructed in 1678 to serve as a rest point for feudal lords traveling under the mandatory journey system between their domains and Edo. It later functioned as a field headquarters during the Boshin War, connecting it to a pivotal conflict of that era.
The building demonstrates the design standards for a high-ranking guest house, with its sliding doors and wooden partitions built to accommodate important travelers. The rooms offer insight into how such rest stations hosted feudal lords during their official journeys.
The building operates on seasonal hours that change throughout the year, so checking current opening times ahead of your visit is helpful. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for traditional spaces with low doorways and the need to enter tatami rooms barefoot or in socks.
The interior walls bear visible scars from the Boshin War, including sword cuts and bullet marks left from its use as a field headquarters. These physical traces tell the story of a conflict that reshaped Japan during that turbulent period.
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