TokyoTomo Travel Guide

For over 2000 years, Japanese nurtured the sense of season through daily lives such as seeing sakura while digging up soil to sow seeds, or knowing the rice planting timing by the flowering of Shobu (also known as Japanese Iris or blue flag in general). Having no almanac in the olden days, seasonal flowers in the field played the role of the calendar that indicated the agricultural cycle.

Shobu, indicating the coming of the rainy season, is a flower that starts blooming around the time to start rice planting. It was a trend among samurais to plant shobu in their residence during the Edo period which was eventually introduced to the commoners. The representative kind of Japanese iris is the Edo-type Shobu. In the late Edo period, Edo-type shobu was introduced to Kumamoto and Mie Prefecture, where it was improved into Higo type and Ise type shobu.

With its wide variety, Japan boasts one of the best cultivation of the garden plant, hana-shobu. The main species are Edo, Higo and Ise type, and nowadays, there are vast range of hana-shobu after the advancement of the improvement, including those for indoor and outdoor ornamental purposes. In general, many petals are either purple or light purple, but with different tones such as blended or veined colors. Colors of shobu can also be light pink, white, or even yellow. It is said that there are more than 2000 species, and interestingly, the names of each species signify its origin.

As shobu looks exactly like ayame (blue flag) and kakitsubata (flag) and is difficult to distinguish, a phrase “the hardest choice to make is whether to pick ayame or kakitsubata.” To explain the difference, the center of the flower is yellow for hana-shobu, white for kakitsubata, and a mesh design for ayame.

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While slow-life has been seen in a new light, travelers are starting to be attracted to those trips on retro trains. As one of those, “Isaburo/Shinpei” is a local line with a nostalgic atmosphere that runs down JR Hisatsu Line in Kyushu area. The scenery of the fields from the window brings back the memories of the past. The single-track train is admirable, being just like a child who is gives its best for the run.

JR Hisatsu Line――One who knows would give a grin hearing this name; the one and only local single-line in Japan filled with all the excitement of a railway trip. For railway fans, Hisatsu Line is a very special line. The train runs 124 km from north to south, from JR Yatsushiro Station in Kumamoto to Hayato Station in Kagoshima Prefecture. Running along the downstream to the upstream of Kumagawa River, the route between Yatsushiro to Hitoyoshi is called “Kawa-sen (River Line),” and the route from Hitoyoshi to Yoshimatsu, passing over the mountain pass to Kagoshima, is called “Yama-sen (Mountain Line).” Railway fans are enthralled by Yama-sen, as this is a line where the special diesel tourist train “Isaburo/Shinpei” runs. Between Hitoyoshi to Yoshimatsu, 35 km in distance and 430 m difference in height, visitors can enjoy an interesting mountain ride with tunnels, the switch-back station in the middle of the loop line, and the stunning view of Kirishima Mountain Range which is designated as one of the “three most beautiful scenery from the train window.”

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Another highlight of Kumamoto Castle is the gorgeous “Honmaru-goten” renovated in 2007. Honmaru-goten was the center of the castle being a government head quarter and the reception hall for the successive lords of the clan. Even among others fortified in Japan, Honmaru-goten of this great Japanese castle is filled with the essence of feudal daimyo culture with a shine of architectural beauty.

The three-story Honmaru-goten is 14.6 m in height with a basement, and it is as wide as 78 m from east to west, and 31 m from north to south. The roof is sheeted with roof tiles remade in the same condition from the old times, and the white clay wall was constructed by adopting the method originally used upon the fortification. The inner part of the castle consists of the lord’s room, large reception hall with four connected rooms, large kitchen with a blow-by, and “Kuragari-tsuro,” an underpass connecting the large kitchen and the lower level. Nowadays, along with the donjon, Honmaru-goten is one of the main features visited by 20 million tourists per year. “Kuragari-tsuro” the approach to Honmaru-goten reception hall, has a rarely seen structure in Japan installing an underpass beneath the hall itself. In the dim passage, thick beams made of red pine are placed directly on top of stonewalls and are supported by zelcova pillars. This is the first attraction of the viewing route that makes the visitors feel the dynamism of the time when Honmaru-goten was first constructed.

“Gozentachinoma,” a large pantry kitchen and “Irorinoma,” a cooking place with blow-by are located in both sides of the entrance. As fire was used in the large kitchen, the ceiling is in a wellhole style to vent out the smoke. The vast space is supported by gigantic red pine beams as large as 1 m in diameter and 12 m in length. On the second floor of this large kitchen, visitors can try tasting “Honmaru Gozen,” a sumptuous recreated meal of Kumamoto clan’s culinary culture. The dishes are reproduced based on the secret recipes and menu of the clan since Edo period, combined with special local ingredients from Kumamoto. The menu changes every season, but served in the same samurai ceremonial style with different kinds of dishes on several portable tables at once. This meal set is a hefty 3,000 yen, but worthwhile trying as these tasty dishes cannot be prepared in other places. Reservation is required as they only serve 50 sets a day.

Being the interviewing spot with the domain lord, the large reception hall originally had 53 rooms which was equivalent to the size of 1570 tatami mats. Out of that, 25 rooms has been restored, starting from “Tsurunoma” with 60 tatami mats, leading to “Umenoma” with 35, “Sakuranoma” with 28, and “Umenoma” with 24 tatami mats, and to the feudal lord’s room “Wakamatsunoma.” Each rooms are connected by cloister called Ohiroma-engawa. These rooms and corridors, including the paintings on the walls and ceilings, are recreated faithfully to history based on pictures, documents, and old photos from Meiji period, giving a flamboyant atmosphere. The brilliant and gorgeous room beside Wakamatsunoma is “Shokunnoma,” the most prestigious room in the castle. The room is decorated with wall paintings　with golden leaves and 60 ceiling paintings, and it is said to be constructed by the first lord of the castle Kiyomasa Kato to greet Hideyori, the son of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. The colorful wall painting is said to be drawn by the legendary painter, Kotonobu Kano, and was revived by layering gold leaf onto the base and using natural mineral pigments of the time. Glancing at the fabulous paintings on the sliding door, we can just imagine how passionate Kiyomasa was when he made this room.

Kumamoto Castle Official Website

Continuation from part 1. See part 1

Source: Travel Vision

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