Shiro-machi in Tatebayashi City, Gunma Prefecture, is home to a cultural area where visitors can experience history, culture, and literature in one place. Highlights include Jomon Village, a reconstructed settlement from the Jomon period; the Tayama Katai Memorial Museum of Literature, which introduces the life and literary achievements of renowned writer Tayama Katai; and the Former Residence of Tayama Katai, where the writer spent part of his childhood.
The surrounding area also includes museums displaying historical materials from Tatebayashi and historic buildings that tell the story of the development of modern industry. From the Jomon period to the modern era, visitors can enjoy a cultural walk tracing the long history of Tatebayashi.
Jomon Village is a reconstructed settlement dating back approximately 4,500 years, based on archaeological excavations at the Mabori Site in Akauda-machi, Tatebayashi. Located next to the Tayama Katai Memorial Museum of Literature, it offers an opportunity to imagine how people lived in the Jomon period and how they interacted with their natural surroundings.
Three Jomon-style pit dwellings have been reconstructed on the grounds. These houses were built by digging into the ground and provide an insight into the ingenuity of Jomon people as they adapted their lives to the natural environment.
Other features, including storage pits, stone hearths, and stone circles, have also been recreated around the settlement. Visitors can explore the site while imagining everyday life and possible ritual activities from the Jomon period.
Reconstructed dwelling remains and furnished interiors make it easier to understand how people lived during this ancient period.
The area also includes forests of evergreen broadleaf trees and deciduous broadleaf trees. Walking through these natural surroundings as well as the reconstructed houses allows visitors to imagine how closely Jomon communities lived in harmony with their environment.
The Tayama Katai Memorial Museum of Literature is a municipal literary museum that opened in 1987. It introduces the life and literary achievements of Tayama Katai, a renowned writer who was born in Tatebayashi. The museum is located across from the Mukai Chiaki Children’s Science Museum.
The collection includes a wide range of materials related to Katai’s career as a writer, including handwritten manuscripts, first editions, letters, diaries, and personal belongings.
Tayama Katai was one of the leading writers of Japanese naturalist literature. The museum displays materials related to some of his best-known works, including The Quilt and The Country Teacher, providing insight into the background of these works and Katai’s literary activities.
Many of the museum’s materials were carefully preserved by Katai’s wife, Risa, and are known as the Tayama Family Collection. Because these valuable materials were preserved rather than dispersed, they continue to provide insight into Katai’s personality, literary career, and relationship with his hometown.
The museum also features a reconstruction of Katai’s study from his home in Yoyogi, Tokyo. Visitors can experience the atmosphere of the space where the writer worked and gain a deeper understanding of the environment in which his literary works were created.
A visit takes approximately 30 minutes, making the museum an accessible way to explore Tatebayashi’s literary heritage.
Near the Tayama Katai Memorial Museum of Literature stands the preserved Former Residence of Tayama Katai, where the writer spent his childhood.
Katai lived in this house for approximately eight years, from the age of seven to fourteen. The residence is considered an important place for understanding the origins of his literary career and provides a glimpse into the influence that Tatebayashi’s landscapes and everyday life had on his writing.
The wooden single-story house features a traditional earthen-floored entrance and veranda. The wooden floors retain the grain and character accumulated over many years, creating a simple and peaceful atmosphere that evokes everyday life during the Meiji period.
Katai had a deep affection for the scenery of Tatebayashi. In his novel Furusato (Hometown), he referred to this house as “this beloved old home.” Lake Jōnuma and the surrounding natural landscape also appear in his works, suggesting the strong influence that memories of his hometown had on his literature.
The building is also a small former samurai residence dating from the late Edo period. It was relocated to its present site in 1981 and is now open to the public as part of the Tatebayashi City Second Historical Museum. Admission is free.
The Tatebayashi City Historical Museum introduces the history and culture of Tatebayashi. It consists of two facilities, the First Historical Museum and the Second Historical Museum. Since opening in 1978, the museums have collected and exhibited valuable cultural properties and historical materials from the city.
The collections include the Iizuka Taeimon Collection, assembled beginning in the early Showa period, as well as maps of Tatebayashi Castle and historical materials related to the Akimoto family, the final feudal lords of the Tatebayashi domain.
The museum also preserves cultural properties designated by Tatebayashi City, including a painting of Fudo Myoo dating from the Muromachi period, Edo-period calligraphy, and botanical illustrations in color. Together, these materials demonstrate the richness of Tatebayashi’s historical and cultural heritage.
The museum grounds are also home to the Former Jomo Moslin Office, a historic building representing Tatebayashi’s development as a center of modern industry.
The wooden two-story Western-style building was constructed around 1908–1910 and is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Gunma Prefecture.
The building was used as the office of Jomo Moslin Co., Ltd., a company whose textile production contributed to the development of Tatebayashi. Weaving had long been an important local industry, and the production of muslin played a significant role in the region’s modernization.
The exterior features a symmetrical design, with Western-style architectural details including vertically sliding windows and decorative railings. At the same time, traditional Japanese structural elements were incorporated into the interior, reflecting the architectural culture of the period when Japan was rapidly modernizing.
With its distinctive modern appearance, the building is sometimes used as a filming location for television dramas and movies and has become a popular historic landmark for visitors.
The area around Jomon Village, the Tayama Katai Memorial Museum of Literature, the Former Residence of Tayama Katai, and the Tatebayashi City Historical Museum forms a cultural district where visitors can experience Tatebayashi’s history across different periods.
The area brings together the ancient lifestyle of the Jomon period, modern Japanese literature, and the development of modern industry. Visiting the individual sites provides a broader understanding of how Tatebayashi’s culture developed over the centuries.
Nearby attractions such as Lake Jōnuma and Obiki Inari Shrine also offer opportunities to experience the area’s history and natural environment, making it enjoyable to combine museum visits with a leisurely walk.
Jomon Village and the Tayama Katai Memorial Museum of Literature are approximately a 20-minute walk from Tatebayashi Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line.
By bus, get off at the Children’s Science Museum-mae stop on the Tatebayashi-Itakura Line. The museums are approximately a 1-minute walk from the bus stop.
The area is approximately 15 minutes from Tatebayashi Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. Cultural facilities and parks are also located nearby, making it easy to combine several attractions for a broader exploration of Tatebayashi’s history and culture.
The area around Jomon Village and the Tayama Katai Memorial Museum of Literature offers a broad introduction to Tatebayashi’s history, from the Jomon period through the modern era.
At Jomon Village, visitors can discover the lives of people in prehistoric Japan. At the Tayama Katai Memorial Museum of Literature, they can explore the world of modern Japanese literature, while the Former Residence of Tayama Katai offers a glimpse into the writer’s childhood. The historical museums and Former Jomo Moslin Office provide further insight into Tatebayashi’s history and industrial development.
By exploring these historic buildings, archaeological reconstructions, and collections of historical materials, visitors can experience the long passage of time that has shaped Tatebayashi. It is an ideal area for a cultural and historical walking tour.