KOEDO KAWAGOE KURAZUKURI STREET
A traditional Japanese streetscape where the atmosphere of Edo lives on.
OVERVIEW
Koedo Kawagoe Kurazukuri Street is a historic streetscape and one of the most representative landmarks of Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture.
Kawagoe developed as a commercial town from the Edo period, and its streetscape of imposing kurazukuri merchant houses came to be known as “Koedo,” or “Little Edo.” Even today, the area retains a strong sense of its historic character.
HISTORY
Koedo Kawagoe Ichibangai Kurazukuri Streetscape in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, is a historic streetscape that remains in the central urban area of Kawagoe, which developed as a castle town during the Edo period. Kawagoe flourished as the castle town of the Kawagoe Domain and developed greatly as a hub for logistics and commerce through waterborne transportation with Edo.
The event that led to the formation of the present-day kurazukuri streetscape was the “Kawagoe Great Fire,” which occurred in 1893 (Meiji 26). Following the fire, many merchant houses were rebuilt using earthen-storehouse construction with improved fire resistance, creating rows of buildings characterized by the distinctive features of kurazukuri architecture, including imposing black plaster walls, double-leaf doors, tiled roofs, and mushikomado windows.
Many kurazukuri merchant houses, traditional townhouses, temples, storehouses, and other buildings that retain the character of the former streetscape have been preserved to this day. As an area where visitors can experience the atmosphere passed down from the Edo period to the Meiji period and from the Meiji period into the present day, it has also been designated an “Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings,” recognizing its high historical and cultural value.
This work faithfully recreates this historic streetscape as a realistic Japanese-style Minecraft build. Its faithful recreation based not on architectural drawings but on old photographs and the actual streetscape was featured in the news, bringing the work to the attention of a very large audience. The building process and completed work have also been shared on X and YouTube.
GALLERY
