Bukeyashiki Kita-ke

Bukeyashiki Kita-ke
Historic House

武家屋敷　旧喜多家
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The Bukeyashiki Kita-ke Historic House is the largest home in the Iya Valley, and sits on a hillside rich with local history. Built in 1763 as the residence for the Kita Clan samurai who reigned over much of the Iya Valley at the time, the house was originally located a bit further down the hillside and moved to its present location in 1990. In 2018 the roof was entirely re-thatched. 

The view from the house is very grand as it sits at an elevation of 845 meters (about 350 meters above the river below). Finely restored, the building is a beautiful example of traditional architecture, featuring a layout unlike the more humble farmhouses that are more commonly seen throughout the valley. (Contrary to the written description on the house's pamphlet, the "Irazu-no-ma" ritual suicide room was not included in the restored version of the house).

Inside, one can find a large iirori floor hearth, collections of various antiques, and a classic set of samurai armor on display. Located next to the house along a path is the small "Hoko Shrine" and giant "Hoko-Sugi" cedar tree, which is the second largest cedar tree in Shikoku at 35 meters high, 11 meters in circumference, and over 800 years old.

Of note is the history of the village of Oeda, where the Bukeyashiki house is located. In the 12th century, when the Heike Samurai supposedly came to Iya to hide after losing the great Genpei War, this hillside was where they initially entered the valley from over the mountain on New Year's Day 1185. Cold, tired, and hungry, they attacked the home of the Oeda village chief (while he was having his New Year's dinner), took his food, and immediately established themselves as lords over the area (as a result, the traditional New Year's meal in Iya isn't lavishly prepared as it is elsewhere in Japan, since for centuries it was considered bad luck to do so).
For the first year or so after arriving, the leader of the hiding samurai, Taira Kunimori, maintained his base of operations here in Oeda, and accordingly established the Hoko Shrine to hold his clan's sacred spear. It is said that he also planted the now enormous Hoko-Sugi cedar tree in order to protect the shrine (though a slightly different legend says that Kunimori did these things later on, after the boy emprorer he was entrusted with protecting had died, and he established the shrine and tree due to an alcohol-induced dream he had.)  

Centuries later, this village of Oeda was the main center of activity in the Iya Valley, and it was from here (from this house) that the ruling Kita Clan presided over the valley. At one point the clan owned 80% of Iya's land, with all the people essentially being serfs. Land was eventually redistributed in the late 19th century with the elimination of the samurai feudal system, but Oeda remained the center of Iya, and was home to the school, post office, administration seat, and trading market area. However, after Iya's road was built in the 1920/30s the commercial and administration center of the valley shifted to Kyojo and elsewhere.
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Local Points
 Bukeyashiki Kita-ke Historic House  is located at the end of a small road high up above the "downtown" area of  Kyojo.  Just beside the house a few steps down the path is the  Giant Cedar Tree and Hoko Shrine.
Throughout the entire village Oeda where Bukeyashiki is located there are several historical points which tie into the 800 year old legend of the Heike Samurai coming to Iya to hide. Unfortunately, the signs and trails for these sites are either damaged or missing, and none are marked in English. It is a goal of the Iya Valley Tourism Association (which manages the IyaTime.com website) to renew the signs, clear the trails, and make these sites more accessable.
Access by Car
By car, the access road up to  Bukeyashiki Kita-ke  is entirely one-laned and sometimes the pavement is a little rough (so not too good if you're driving a Ferrari) but it makes for a bit of an adventure.
To find the access road, take the bypass road which goes on the other side of the river from Kyojo Tunnel. (accessable by crossing a bridge on either side of the tunnel). At the  turn off point  you will see a black sign which says in English "Old Samurai Residence 4.5km", and from here the road goes up the mountain, twisting and turning its way through the quiet hillside village.
Stay on this road till it ends, about 12-15 minutes from the turn-off. Along the way there are a few points where the road splits, however it is usually clear which way to go (just stay on the road that seems larger and more traveled. Signs in Japanese point towards the Bukeyashiki House).
You can park just below the house in front of the large stone wall.
Access by Bus & Foot
By bus, the closest stop would be  Wakabayashi Bus Stop  located at the bottom of the hill (on the bus schedule this stop is between Tochinose Bus Stop and Kyojo Bus Stop), but its a pretty long walk of 1.5+ hours all the way up to  Bukeyashiki Kita-ke.
From Wakabayashi Bus Stop, go north-east up the road a few minutes to the  turn off point  which has a black sign in English saying "Old Samurai Residence 4.5km". Follow this road, up, up, up until it ends to find Bukeyashiki. There are a few paths through the forest and farm fields which may offer short-cuts, but none are marked and could lead to you getting lost. So its best to just stay on the road and stick out your thumb if you do happen to see a car passing, and hopefully they'll give you a ride.
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