Motoori Norinaga's former residence, Special Historic Site in Matsusaka, Japan
This former residence in Matsusaka is a historic house featuring traditional Japanese architecture with wooden beams, sliding doors, and multiple levels of tatami-floored rooms. The layout shows how scholars and their households lived during the Edo period, with distinct spaces for different activities.
Built in 1691, the house later became home to Motoori Norinaga, who lived here from age 12 until his death in 1801. Over those decades it became a center of scholarly work and intellectual development in the region.
The residence reflects how an Edo-period scholar organized his daily life across different rooms for writing, medical work, and study. Visitors can see where intellectual pursuits and practical knowledge were pursued together under one roof.
The house is located near Matsusaka Castle and is easy to reach. Inside, exhibitions display objects and documents that document scholarly work here, helping visitors understand life during that era.
Within these walls, Motoori Norinaga spent decades writing his major work, a detailed analysis of Japan's oldest historical record that became deeply influential. This scholarship shaped how later generations understood Japan's cultural origins.
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