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With the former residence
of Lafcadio Hearn and several other samurai houses huddled closely together
overlooking a moat, this district, more than any other area in Matsue, retains
the appearance of a castle town. The area was once filled with the homes
of higher-ranking retainers (stipends between 200 and 600 koku), and the
name Shiomi Nawate is said to have derived from the name of one retainer,
Kohyoe Shiomi, whose house used to stand in the district's center. Nawate
refers to a long, narrow single-lane road passing through an area of flat
land. The row of giant pine trees lining the moat has been growing there
since the Edo period, and the sidewalk has been built on a lower level to
prevent pedestrians from touching the overhanging boughs. |
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