My wife and I went to Japan in 2023 and got to visit an actual samurai residence in Kanezawa. We saw his real armor and swords, as well as a somewhat hilarious letter of accomadation given to him for his effort in killing a rival warrior. It said something like "we would like to honor and thank you for your relentless effort to kill so-and-so and for bringing us his head" and then he was awarded additional land for it.
You might think that a samurai house would be a very military style building. However, it was actually an intricate multi-floor home with a lush garden atrium in the center. The outdoor stairways used polished river stone, and the upstairs rooms all had amazing overhead views of the garden. The lower floors had divider walls that could be removed to make an open floor plan, or slid around to create different room configurations. I'm sure there must have also been some trap doors too.
