Ando Town
Historical Folklore
MuseumInformation

Zip code〒639-1061
1332 Higashi-Ando, Ando Town, Ikoma District,
Nara Prefecture
Ando Town Historical Folklore Museum
Tel:0743-57-5090
Websitehttp://mus.ando-rekimin.jp/
http://www.town.ando.nara.jp/ (Ando Town website)

Admission
Charge(for one person)
IndividualGroup

Adult

¥220

¥170

Student

¥110

¥100

Child

¥60

¥50

… High school or University students… Elementary and Junior high school students※StudentChildGroup…

more than 30 people with a person in charge

Opening hours
AM 9:00～PM 5:00
but, please enter before PM 4:00

Closing days
Every Tuesday and December 27 ～ January 5

Access Information●Train ＆ Bus① JR Horyuji station and Bus to “Kashinokidai 1cho-me” or Community
Bus to “Hirahata-station”, get off at “Noukyo-mae”, and walk for
3minutes.
② Kintetsu Railway Hirahata station and Community Bus to “Horyujistation”, get off at “Higashi-ando higashiguchi” or “Noukyo-mae”, andwalk for 3minutes.

●CarNishi-Meihan highway,①Horyuji exit, continue northeast for 3km.
②Yamato-Mahoroba smart exit, continue west for 1km (ETC only).

IMAMURAhouse

To this day, the IMAMURA family has continued to exist as a partof the KITAGAITO family of Higashi-ando village. The family has
played an important role in political decisions in the village. Thefamily were also members of the Shinto shrine of the village,
named “Akunami-jinja”. We do not know exactly when theIMAMURA family actually started, but this family name has beenfound in the document which dates back to the Jokyo Nenkanera(1684-1688).
The family established a private school in the village. BUNGOIMAMURA took an active part in ending the Edo era along withanother well known figure MITSUHIRA TOMOBAYASHI. KINZOIMAMURA let Nara prefecture in its drive for independence fromOsaka. Both BUNGO IMAMURA and KINZO IMAMURA wereborn in this house.
The house has a front gate, two tea rooms, a main house, astorehouse and a garden which dates back to the end of the Edoera.
In 1991, the IMAMURA family, kindly donated their land,buildings, and historical documents to the town of Ando. In thesame year, Ando town began to restore the family’s former
possession.
Restorations was completed in October of 1993, and the house
was made open to the public. It is now known as the Ando Town
Historical Folklore Museum.

Traditional industry“Toshin-hiki”
Ando town is located at the point where the Yamato, Tomio andOkasaki rivers meet. The people of Ando have taken advantage of
their soil (which is marshy lowland) to grow “Igusa” (Igusa is aplant used to make candle wick). Every year, both “Igusa” and“Kome (=rice)” are grown alternately. In the middle of June whichis the rainy season in Japan, “Igusa” is cut and dried on theriverbanks. This is typical of Ando town.
Since 1968, “Igusa” has not been grown in Ando, but rather
produced in other areas and sent to Ando. To this day, people
continue to make candle wicks so as to preserve this tradition.
Once the skin of “Igusa” has been removed, it is known as “Zui(=Toshin)”. “Toshin” soaked in oil is very suitable as candle wickbecause it burns well.
To make “Toshin”, people remove the skin of “Igusa” with a
cutting instrument known as a “Hikidai”. They must be very
careful not to cut the Zui (Toshin) in half. Once this is completed,
the Toshin are bundled and dried.
Nowadays, the Toshin are mainly used in temples and for tea
ceremonies among other uses.
June 1, 2015, “Toshin-hiki” was designated as “Ando Town
intangible folk cultural property.”