🗺️ Zhidao Museum

In 1950, to promote local culture, the former lord of the Shonai domain, the Sakai family, donated their inherited cultural properties, land, and buildings to establish the "Chido Museum." The ancestor of the Sakai family was Sakai Tadatsugu, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa, who ruled this land from the Edo period until the return of land and resources during the Meiji period, dedicating themselves to the prosperity and strength of the region. The museum is located on a site equivalent to the San-no-maru of Tsuruoka Castle, which was once the official residence of the Sakai family. It still preserves part of the "Old Shonai Domain Lord's Hidden Hall," built during the Bakumatsu period. From the inner room of the Hidden Hall, one can enjoy a beautiful view of the nationally designated scenic spot "Sakai Family Garden," which is a rare shoin-style garden in the Tohoku region. Inside the museum, important cultural properties such as the "Old Nishitagawa County Office," a Western-style building constructed during the Meiji period, and the important cultural property "Old Tsuruoka Police Station," as well as important cultural properties built during the Edo period, including the "Old Shibuya Residence," which was relocated here from the foot of Yudonosan Mountain, are preserved. Using these traditional buildings, exhibitions focusing on archaeology, history, and folklore materials are held.

The Meiji period pseudo-Western style buildings "Old Nishitagawa County Office" and "Old Tsuruoka Police Station" cleverly blend Western and Japanese styles. The "Old Shibuya Residence," featuring a beautiful thatched roof and known as "Kabuto-zukuri," is also noteworthy. The "Sakai Family Garden," designated as a national scenic spot, is a quiet and charming scholarly garden.