Tucked away in a quiet and unassuming area of Ozu, a historic castle town in Ehime Prefecture, is an unusual house — with an even more unusual owner. A former samurai residence, the building is being given a new lease of life by an artist drawing inspiration from the cultural practices of his ancestors who once lived there.
Yushi Dangami, an artist and social entrepreneur based in Ozu and Tokyo, is a 14th-generation descendant of the Kato clan, the samurai family that once ruled over this part of Ehime.
In 2018, he used the proceeds from his art to purchase the 180-year-old building, the ownership of which was no longer in his family, when he was alerted by a member of the local community that it had been put up for sale.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.