Minato Goten
Minato-goten ('Port Palace') is a daimyō bukeyashiki (samurai residence) in the Nishihama ('West Beach') area of Wakayama Municipality. Minato-goten was originally built by Tokugawa Mitsusada, the second lord of Wakayama Domain, before his retirement in 1698. I'm not sure whether that was in the sam
[[||class=img-responsive]]
Background
Minato-goten ('Port Palace') is a daimyō bukeyashiki (samurai residence) in the Nishihama ('West Beach') area of Wakayama Municipality. Minato-goten was originally built by Tokugawa Mitsusada, the second lord of Wakayama Domain, before his retirement in 1698. I'm not sure whether that was in the same location as it is today, as there is a neighbourhood of Wakayama downtown called 'Minato-goten', making me think it was there. There is also a modern area of the city called 'Minato'. However, the hall we see today dates to its reconstruction at its current location in 1834 by Tokugawa Nariyuki, the eleventh lord of Wakayama Domain. The Minato-goten is located adjacent to Yōsui-en, the daimyō garden of Wakayam Domain constructed in 1818 by Tokugawa Harutomi, the tenth lord of the domain.
Guided tours are available of the goten. However, interior photography is prohibited. I took some pictures from the entrance before the guide emerged, but my photos are mostly limited to the building's exterior - along with a gate for the residence. The interior of the goten, used as a country villa by the lords of Wakayama Castle, is beautiful, and it is regrettable that tours are very brief. Our guide would be talking about a particular detail, but I was constantly looking around, trying to drink in every detail in the limited time allowed to us; I would've liked to have stayed longer.
Highlights of the goten include the walls adorned with washi (paper), a sunset-hew alcove in the study hall, a ventilation system seen in the ceiling of several rooms, and painted cedar doors. One plain wooden door is said to show a dragon in the natural pattern of the wood. The guide asked what animal it was. But, of course it's a dragon; it's always a dragon.
The villa, said to be designed along the same lines as the Kishū mansion in Edo, used to be much larger but was largely lost during the Meiji period; what we see today is a preserved portion: it is the okugoten (main living section and bedchamber). It seems the goten used to be charged separately to the garden, but now admission is included with the ticket to the garden.
Although parts were demolished throughout the Meiji period, other parts of the structure were sold off. As such, another portion of the Minato-goten is extant but relocated. Minato-goten's gozanoma (sitting room) can now be found at a temple in downtown Wakayama called Kannōji (感應寺). I planned to call ahead at Kannōji as I had read that it was possible to reserve a guided tour at the temple, but the guide I was using was from before 2005, and it now appears that the gozanoma is open only on select days each year. Since the gozanoma cannot be seen from the publicly accessible part of the temple, I did not visit Kannōji.
Profile by ART.
Gallery
| Minato Goten Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Minato Goten |
| Japanese Name | 湊御殿 |
| Year | 1834 |
| Residence Type | Daimyo |
| Features | Gates, House |
| Visitor Information | 9:00-17:00 (paid entry to garden; ¥600) |
| Website | http://wakayamacity-bunkazai.jp/minatogoten/ |
| Location | Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Castle | Wakayama Castle |
| Coordinates | 34.19388, 135.15183 |
| Wakayama Castle and nearby Samurai Homes | |
|
|
|
| Admin | |
| Visits | |
| Added Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
