Elaborate Daimyo Mansions in Japan

Although technically not a museum, there are many daimyo yashiki (feudal lord mansions) in tokyo, open to the public, where you can learn a lot about the luxurious lifestyles daimyo and their families had during the Edo Period. The Shogun Tokugawa wanted to limit the powers of the daimyo to maintain his rule over them. One of the ways he did this was to force each daimyo to build three elaborate mansions in Edo and have their family live there. These are the daimyo yashiki you can visit.

The one I visited was called Nanushi Yashiki. The nanushi yashiki never belonged to a daimyo but to the Tajima family, influential in the Edogawa river bed area. An interesting I still remember from a visit about 6 years ago, is that there was a small boat in the attic. This was for the family to escape in, in case of a flood. The Edogawa river flooded frequently and so it was their emergency option. It was very interesting to physically experience how people used to live in the Edo Period.

These yashiki can be found in different parts of Tokyo. I highly recommend them if you are interested in Edo history!