Entrance・Kitchen・Earth floor・Stable

Earth floor

The family usually entered the house through this space, which was used as an indoor work place.

Folk crafts

Umakamado or Cooking stove for horses

An Umakamado, which literally means a cooking stove for horses, was a large stove for cooking the feed for horses and other livestock or cooking soybeans to make miso or bean paste.

Winnower

This is a farm tool for winnowing rice, wheat, beans, rapeseeds, and other grains. The wheel attached to the box creates wind to blew away husks, chaff, dirt, and other impurities. This tool was introduced from China.

Stable

Horses used for commuting to the castle were kept in this stable. It protected the horses from winter cold because it was a part of the indoor earth floor.

Folk crafts

Manger
飼い葉おけ

The manger is a container for livestock feed. Chaff, rice bran, and other feed were put in the round manger; an appropriate amount of water was then added and mixed well to feed the livestock.
[Archived at City of Hitachinaka Board of Education]

Straw raincoat

This is a kind of raincoat made by plaited straw. It was worn over clothes for protection from rain.
[Archived at Ibaraki Prefectural Archives and Museums]

Conical straw headpiece

This is a kind of hat worn for protection from rain, snow or sunlight.
[Archived at City of Hitachinaka Board of Education]