The inner drawing room and sitting room were both used on a daily basis by Naosuke Ii. These rooms had the best location within Umoregi-no-ya, facing southeast. There was a view of the garden, which was filled with various plants and flowers across the seasons. There was even a small shrine to the goddess Kannon in view.
The rooms are 8-jō (~15m2) each and connected. In the back is a 4.5-jō (~8m2) anteroom, which leads to the tea room.
The back of the room also connects to a dressing room, which is 2-jō (~4m2), as well as a restroom.
There is a hallway on the north side of the room, and the eastern, southern, and northern windows are kept open. In anticipation of the humid Hikone summers, the room was built to have good airflow. The windows also provide a view of both the northern and southern gardens.
Let’s start looking at the exhibit in the sitting room.
Above the transom in the front is a framed piece of writing that reads “Umoregi-no-ya.” This calligraphy was the work of Naosuke’s grandson, Naotada, who gifted the piece to Ōkubo Kozen.
The scroll hanging in the tokonoma area was illustrated by a resident artist of Hikone Domain named Kanō Tan’yū. The scroll hanging in the front is an illustration of the past lords of the Ii clan. Naohiko, the 13th lord, is at the very bottom of the right column.
The images of Naosuke and Okubo Kozen are displayed to showcase the atmosphere of the room at the time.
The various waka poems on scrolls and displayed in the halls were all penned by Naosuke during his time at Umoregi-no-ya.
In front of the sitting room is a small garden with a waterfall. Beyond the garden is a small shrine dedicated to the goddess Kannon. It is said that Naosuke prayed to the shrine every day.
The garden is planted with several dozens of herbs and flowers that are not only beautiful to look at, but are components of Chinese medicine used to cure ailments. There is even a story of an expert in Chinese medicine being shocked by the variety of herbs planted on the property.
Around 1942, when militarism was in full swing, the neighboring shrine honoring the lives lost to war wanted to expand. Three military policemen entered Umoregi-no-ya without removing their shoes, as is customary when entering a home in Japan, and threatened, “If you don’t donate Umoregi-no-ya to the shrine, we’re going to bring out a tank and destroy it ourselves.” Three brothers, who were the grandchildren of Kozen, negotiated with the military police, prepared to slit their own stomachs if they had to. The brothers successfully managed to persuade the military police to back down.
The eldest brother attended Kyoto Imperial University, where he became friends with Konoe Fumimaro. Through Konoe, the brother was able to get the help of a ranking officer within the army, Tōjō Hideki. With the help of Tōjō, the eldest brother was able to stop the requisition of Umoregi-no-ya.
After the war, this room hosted various guests, including Funahashi Seichi, author of the novels that were adapted into the first NHK historical drama Hana no Shōgai, Onoe Shōroku, who played Naosuke in the drama, kabuki plays, and movies, Sada Keiji, who played Nagano Shūzen in the drama, Kitaōji Kinya, who starred in a two-hour special in 1988, and Prince Fumihito in 1983.