Townsmen in Historical District Revive the City

Kurokabe Square District

(Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture)

【Machisyu（町衆）】 refers to townsmen, particularly merchants and artisans who lived in towns during the late medieval period. This term distinguishes them from samurai class or farmers. These townsmen were often granted autonomy within their towns.

In 1574, a powerful feudal lord built Nagahama town as a castle town when he constructed a castle on the shore of Lake Biwa. The lord granted the townspeople autonomy and tax exemptions. These privileges were maintained throughout the feudal era for 290 years despite changes in rulers. It brought wealth and enlivened the town’s economy. As a symbol of the wealth, they built gorgeous floats known as the “moving museum” or “moving Kabuki” (a traditional Japanese performance) for town’s festival.

Each float has a stage for performances, and the top features a small room for musical players. The pillars and roofs are adorned with decorative gold-colored metal fittings. Tapestries hang on the sides and behind the floats.  In the early 19th century, townspeople purchased two tapestries from Belgium dating back to the 17th century to embellish the floats. At that time, Japan was under a policy of national isolation. Foreign goods were rare and considered luxuries. A historical record shows that their price, converted to today’s currency, was around 40 million yen. These floats not only showcased the townspeople’s wealth but also their refined taste and sophistication.

However, their prosperity waned in modern times as motorization took hold. The city became just another local town, and by the 1980s, the once-bustling shopping arcade had become an empty street. It was said that only ‘four persons and one dog’ passed through the main street in a Sunday afternoon.

In response to the situation, the townsmen stood up to revive their town. A historic building, formerly a bank established in 1899, stood at the center of the main street and was slated for demolition. The townsmen and Nagahama City pooled their money, purchased the building. Centered around this building, they revived the old townscape as a tourist attraction. The seamless blend of preserved buildings and houses, the oldest of which was built in the early 18th century, creates a slow and nostalgic atmosphere. Their vigorous efforts and contributions to the town have paid off, attracting 200 million tourists annually nowadays.

In addition to its townscape, there is an interesting street called a samurai hiding street. On normal streets, houses lines in straight. However, on this street, the houses’ porches are aligned unevenly with neighboring houses so that a man can duck behind a wall from enemies. It was a protection architecture of castle towns. This type of street can be seen in some of old castle towns in Japan. However, it is getting diminishing as towns modernize. The town itself is living witness to history.