迷失在古老的日本武士小镇 金沢市

choi

詹纳·斯卡腾娜, 迷失在古老的日本武士小镇. BBC Chinese, Apr 15, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/ukchina/simp/ ... ncient-samurai-town

, which is translated from

Jenna Scatena, Get Lost in Japan's Ancient Samurai Town; Kanazawa's Narrow, Winding Streets Confound Visitors, Just as They Confused Intruders Centuries Ago. BBC Chinese, Mae 22, 2016.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/ ... ncient-samurai-town

Note:
(a) "It was early morning in Kanazawa's historical Higashi Chaya district, a row of old latticed teahouses in a town that's convoluted in both its layout and history."
(i) Kanazawa  金沢市, capital 県庁所在地 of 石川県.
(ii) Higashi Chaya district  ひがし茶屋街
(A) The "higashi" and "tō" are, respectively, Japanese and Chinese pronunciations of the kanji 東.
(B) As one can imagine, that city has east and west chaya district. The former is larger in area and more renowned.
(C) Do not let them fool you. Higashi Chaya district is small and relatively recent. See 東山ひがし
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/東山ひがし

Quote:

"金沢市の地区名。重要伝統的建造物群保存地区であり、ひがし茶屋街の名称で知られる。 南北約130m、東西約180m、約1.8haで、保存地区内の建築物140のうち約3分の2が伝統的建造物であり、茶屋町創設時から明治初期に建築された茶屋様式の町家が多く残る。

"文政3年（1820年）、加賀藩の許可を得、犀川西側に「にし」の茶屋町、浅野川東側に「ひがし」の茶屋町が共に開かれ、大いに賑わった。この際、旧来の不整形な町割は改められ、整形な街区が形成された。

* 東山ひがし is pronounced "Higashiyama-Higashi."  I do not know about the origin of the name.
* translation:

"place name, where a cluster of important traditional buildings were preserved. The area -- 130n by 180m about 1.8 hectares -- contains around 140 [wooden] buildings, two thirds of which are traditional. Spanning from the time chaya district was established to early Meiji era, these are townhouse 町家 [defined as 'house in the middle of a town' in Jim Breen's online Japanese dictionary] in the style of chaya.

"In 1820, having obtained permits from a local lord, [they] developed west chaya district west of 犀川, and east chaya district east of another river called 浅野川. The two district became prosperous. At the time, the prior haphazard zone was tamed


(b) "Steam wafted up from the stone road. A geisha scurried across the empty street like an alley cat, only the clicking of her wooden geta 下駄 sandals giving her away."

"Steam wafted up from the stone road."

See next series.

choi

(c) "Making the 473km trip from Tokyo to Kanazawa * * * Starting March 14, 2015, the new, direct Hokuriku Shinkansen (bullet train) run by West Japan Railway Company" ("JR West" for short) 西日本旅客鉄道株式会社
(i) Hokuriku region  北陸地方
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokuriku_region

Both "hoku" and "riku" are Chinese pronunciations in Japan.
(ii) Hokuriku Shinkansen  北陸新幹線
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokuriku_Shinkansen

(d) "films like The Last Samurai and 13 Assassins. * * * On my first morning in Kanazawa, I made a beeline for the neighbourhood of Higashi Chaya and met Kiyoe NAGASHIMA 長嶋 清恵 * * * a 6th-generation resident and Kanazawa Excursions guide."
(i) 13 Assassins  十三人の刺客
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_Assassins
(a 2010 remake of Eiichi KUDŌ's 工藤 栄一 1963 black-and-white Japanese film of the same name)
(ii) NAGASHIMA YAMAZAKI Kiyo-e
https://www.facebook.com/nagashima.kiyoe
(通訳案内士: 英語、中国語; education: 1992 法学院経済学研究所 National Taiwan University; 1991 金沢大学 economics; 1989 Dalian University of Foreign Languages 国際漢語培訓中心)

Generally speaking, Yamazaki 山崎 may be a surname and name of many places. I assume, without evidence, that this is either her maiden name or husband's surname. Japanese laws requires a Japanese couple share the same name, and most couples choose husband's name. Then again her website may not showcase her legal name and is dicted to foreigners.
(iii) Japanese English dictionary:
* tsū-yaku - an-na-i-shi 通訳案内士【つうやくあんないし】 (n): "(See 通訳ガイド [guide]) tour guide-interpreter; tour guide licensed for guiding foreigners in Japan"
* ika-no-tōri 以下の通り 【いかのとおり】 (n): "as below; as follows"
* koku 石(P[rincipal]); 斛 【こく】 (n): "measure of volume (approx. 180.39 liters, 6.37 cub. ft.)"
* ke 家 【け】 (suf[fix]): "house (eg of Tokugawa); family"
* 屋敷(P); 邸(P) 【やしき】 (n): "residence; estate; grounds; premises; mansion"
(iv) Clicking "Kanazawa Excursions" in the BBC report leads to English version of
Eye on Kanazawa. Issue 07 -- Spring/Summer
http://www.eyeon.jp/s/excursions_17.html
(A) The English version does not say so, but the Japanese one (the other version) says this is a "英語版観光情報フリーペーパー" (free paper).
(B) There used to be "Kanazawa Excursions" website (www.excursions.jp), which had the same photos.

choi

(e) "From the top of the hill, we walked into the adjacent neighborhood of Utatsuyama. Samurai once lived in Buddhist temples here * * * working as security guards called boukan.
(i)
(A) Kanazawa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanazawa
(section 1.9 Temple areas: "Teramachi [寺町] (literally, 'Temple Town' area) * * * On the other side of town, the Utatsuyama temple district, at the foot of the hill of the same name, has smaller temples and twisty roads")

The ja.wikip[edia.org for Kanazawa says lord 前田利家 actively had a urban planning, moving temples to form clusters as shields in case of a defense need (which never happened, as it turned out): 寺町寺院群 and 卯辰山山麓寺院群.
(B) Utatsuyama is the Japanese pronunciation of a 141-meter mountain, Mount Utatsu 卯辰山.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Utatsu

* The "u" and "tatsu" are Japanese pronunciations of 卯 and 辰, respectively, the two kanji represents Chinese zodiac (12 altogether).  For example 卯 = hare, 5am-7am, east, February, whereas 辰 = dragon, 7am-9am, east-southeast, March.
(ii) The "boukan" belongs to another transliteration system. Same as "bōkan," in one transliteration system.
(iii)  The bōkan 坊官 WAS "a residential retainer serving at" a temple.
(iv) The 暴漢 (definitions: thug, hoodlum) shares the same pronunciation, but is not the right kanji.

(f) "Kanazawa Castle * * * was built in the 16th Century by the Maeda 前田 family, the beloved rulers of Kanazawa until 1868. * * * The castle's striking white tile roof is made of weathered lead. Adjoining the castle, the Kenroku-en garden * * * is considered one of Japan's finest gardens."
(i) Kanazawa Castle  金沢城
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanazawa_Castle
(is located adjacent to the celebrated Kenroku-en Garden, which once formed the castle's private outer garden; section 1 History: The castle was greatly reconstructed in 1592. Burned down several times (the last time in 1881), the current structure was restored in 2001 to their 1809 form)

The ja.wikipedia.org says the place was first built in 1546 with a temple, in preparation for/anticipation of construction of a castle.
(ii) Kenroku-en  兼六園
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/兼六園
(section 1.4 名前の由来について: "兼六園の名前は1822年（文政5年）、前田斉広の依頼に応じて白河藩主だった松平定信（白河落翁）が命名した。定信は宋の詩人・李格非の『洛陽名園記』の中で中国洛陽の名園・湖園を「宏大・幽邃・人力・蒼古・水泉・眺望の六つを兼ね備える名園」と謳った文をもとに命名した。その文は以下の通り。"

Regarding the origin of the name: The name Kenroku-en was bestowed by 松平定信 (lord/daimyo 大名 of 白河藩), at the request of 前田斉広. 定信 was based on 李格非's 洛陽名園記 which was an ode to 湖園 which has all of the six attributes: 宏大・幽邃・人力・蒼古・水泉・眺望. The essay is as follows. [Please click the URL to read the  essay in both (traditional) Chinese and Japanese.]

* The 以下の通りis defined in (d)(iii).

choi

(g) "It's [kanazawa is] one of the only cities in Japan to still have a samurai district. * * * We continued on to the Nagamachi 長町 neighborhood, which was once home to upper- and middle-class samurai. Many of the original houses were torn down during Japan's industrial revolution.* * * a couple of restored samurai houses are open to the public, including the Nomura House, which contains artifacts from its namesake family."
(i) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanazawa
(section 1.8 Samurai areas: Maeda clan lorded over Kaga Domain 加賀藩, "For every 100 koku of income, a samurai was given about 550 square metres of land")

The koku 石 is a measurement of rice, which is defined in (d)(iii).
(ii) Nomura House 野村家 (pronounced Nomura-Ke).
(A) use images.google.com to search for Nomura House or 野村家. The estate is small, squeezed in an urban area.
(B) The "ke" is defined in (d)(iii).
(iii) Nomura House is within
長町武家屋敷跡
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E ... B%E6%95%B7%E8%B7%A1

屋敷 is defined in (d)(iii).