Shimabara is praised for its clear water lived.
A town of springs and history

Samurai residence is located on the west side of Shimabara Castle and is a 400m long residential area where low-ranked samurai lived.

The houses are neatly lined up in a grid pattern, and the houses were used by the Ashigaru and Teppo clans, it is also called “Teppo-machi” because there were no walls between the houses when it was built, and one could look over the houses as if peering into the barrel of a gun.

The fresh water that flowed through the center of the town was supplied from the Kumano Shrine to the northwest and used as drinking water, and was strictly controlled by a water magistrate.

Three residences open to the public

Torita Residence

Residences of important officials such as a timber magistrate, a Sohmonkata kayaku, and a Funatsu traffic guard.

*Kayaku is a temporary position other than the main office.

The Torita family has been in existence since the founding of the Matsudaira clan, and served the lord of the clan from Yoshida in Mikawa Province to Fukuchiyama in Tanba Province. He served as a local deputy and county clerk, and at the end of the Edo period, he held such important positions as lumber magistrate, deputy of the Somonkata, and Funatsu traffic guard.

Shinozuka Residence

Residence of the county governor Yusen (secretary)

Jun’emon Shinozuka, who lived in this residence, was a vassal of the Matsudaira feudal lord from the Mikawa (Aichi) period, and accompanied the lord to Shimabara. He accompanied the feudal lord to Shimabara and continued for 11 generations until the Meiji Era (1868-1912), serving mainly as a secretary and a deputy.

Yamamoto Residence

Residence of a gunnery instructor

Sagozaemon, the first generation of the Yamamoto family, who lived here, was also a vassal of the Matsudaira feudal lord from the Mikawa (Aichi) period, and accompanied the lord to Shimabara. He served as a gunnery instructor for generations and held important positions in the clan, serving 13 lords of the castle before and after him until the end of the Edo period. He was paid 17 koku (about 2 manors), and this gate structure, which is said to be rare for a low-ranked samurai, was specially permitted by the lord of the domain.