A Study on the Retreat-Life at the Town of Ikeda in Horeki-Tenmei Period

Abstract

The retreat-life of Kaho Inatsuka and his family in Horeki-Tenmei Period, the late 18th century, is discussed in this paper. Kaho Inatsuka was a typical newly-risen merchant at that transitional period when merchants who had made a fortune by themselves replaced those merchants from a good old stock. His retreat was built in order to elevate his family status, by following the retreat-life tradition among town celebrities. Thus he used his retreat for many recreational activities such as dinnar, tea ceremony, flower viewing, and the autumnal lunar festival, enjoying with his guests and his family.