Former Sugiyama House

The Former Sugiyama House is a traditional wooden residence featuring tatami mats, sliding doors, and multiple buildings connected by a distinctive four-layer roof structure. The property includes earth-floored rooms, reception areas with Osaka-style wall finishes, and decorated fusuma screen doors.

The house was built in 1650 and served as the residence for the Sugiyama family, who worked as town administrators. Beginning in 1685, they obtained a brewery license and operated their business from this location.

The house was birthplace to Isonokami Tsuyuko, a prominent tanka poet whose literary work shaped Japanese poetry during the 1800s. Visitors can sense how this artistic legacy continues to define the place today.

The entire property is open to visitors for exploration of all areas. It helps to wear comfortable footwear since shoes must be removed when entering certain rooms, and budget enough time to appreciate the various spaces and their details throughout the buildings.

The family also ran a brewery from this location whose operations grew substantially over time. Visitors can see in the spaces how demanding this work was and how central the brewery became to the family's life.

GPS coordinates: 34.49968,135.60139

Latest update: December 12, 2025 09:02