Last Trip, Japan - Second Day In Kanazawa

Here's a continuation of the Kanazawa trip. On our second day in the town, my in-laws thought I might be interested in seeing a "ninja" house, so we went to Myoryuji, or Ninja Dera (ninja temple). This temple appears to have only two stories from the outside, as mandated by the local edict at the time it was built, but inside it is full of secret passageways, chambers, and staircases, and escape routes, and actually divided into 7 floors internally. Legend has it that it was intended to be a refuge for local samurai rulers in case of outside threats. It wasn't exactly a "ninja" dojo, per se, but local merchants have created that image somewhat to help sell ninja trinkets and souvenirs at nearby shops. The architecture was very clever and even featured traps for unsuspecting invaders, such as removable floor boards and shoji staircases through which arrows could be shot. The temple tour is by reservation and only given in Japanese, but most of it is self-explanatory. And at the time we went, early-December, it was actually colder in the temple than it was outside, so the brevity of the tour was appreciated! All in all, very interesting and a neat way to experience some Kanazawa history. No cameras were allowed inside, so all of these pics were taken around the outside. That five-pronged symbol you see in a couple of the photos was the family crest of the ruling shogunate and represents a sakura, or cherry blossom.