Kyū Hosokawa Gyōbutei, Samurai residence in Kumamoto Castle Park, Japan
The Kyū Hosokawa Gyōbutei is a former samurai residence with traditional Japanese wooden architecture located in Kumamoto Castle Park. The rooms feature tatami mats and are organized into sections for daily living and formal entertaining.
This residence was built in 1678 during the Edo period as a home for a branch of the Hosokawa family. The family moved away in 1873, and the building later returned to its original site in the castle park area.
The way rooms are arranged and decorated in this residence shows how a prominent samurai family organized their daily life and received visitors. The separation between private quarters and formal reception spaces reveals the social structure that shaped samurai society.
The building has been closed since 2016 due to earthquake damage and is not currently open to visitors. Check ahead before visiting the park to see if conditions have changed.
The building was moved back from another location to the castle park area and underwent major restoration work in the 1990s. This extensive rebuilding revealed the original structure beneath later modifications.
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