Ashigaru Museum 金沢市足軽資料館

Step into the houses of low-ranking samurai families

The Ashigaru Museum in Kanazawa’s Nagamachisamurai district contains two faithfully preserved Edo-period (1603–1867) homes of common foot soldiers (“ashigaru”) and their families. The two houses were still used as residences until the 1990s and have been kept in very good condition, including their distinctive stone roofs. Exhibits of restored household items help visitors imagine the daily lives of the families that lived here. The Ashigaru Museum’s display of how low-ranking samurai lived compliments the more stately samurai houses around it in the Nagamachi district.

Although humble, these houses reflect the wealth of the Kaga domain (present-day Ishikawa and its surroundings). Similar-ranking samurai in other parts of Japan tended to live in row-houses or tenements, but in Kanazawa they were able to live in detached homes with gardens.