Iwahashi House: Prefecture-Designated Historic Site
A mid-level samurai family, the Iwahashi family were chief retainers of the Ashina clan, the rulers of Kakunodate from 1603 until 1653. They received a yearly stipend of 75 koku—one koku was equivalent to the amount of rice a man consumed in a year, roughly 140 kilograms.
After the Ashina clan died out, the Iwahashi family served the North Satake clan, who ruled Kakunodate from the 1650s until the feudal domain system was abolished in 1871.
The Iwahashi manor house, which is open to the public, was remodeled in the late Edo period (1603–1867). The roof was originally thatched, but was changed to its current shingled style during a subsequent remodeling.
The layout of the house and grounds is typical of middle-class samurai residences in Kakunodate. The atmosphere of the Edo period lingers in the compound, with its weeping cherry tree and 300-year-old daimyo oak tree, designated by the city as a natural monument.