Former Sugiyama House, Historical residence in Jinaimachi, Japan
The Former Sugiyama House is a traditional wooden residence in the Jinaimachi district of Tondabayashi, made up of several connected buildings under a four-layer roof structure. The rooms include tatami floors, sliding doors, earth-floored entryways, reception areas with Osaka-style wall finishes, and decorated fusuma screen doors.
The house was built in the mid-17th century and served as the home of the Sugiyama family, who held administrative roles in the town. In 1685, they received a brewery license and added commercial activity to their existing responsibilities.
The house sits in the historic Jinaimachi district of Tondabayashi, one of the most intact Edo-period neighborhoods in Japan. Walking through the rooms, visitors can notice how the layout separates the private living quarters from the commercial side of the property.
The whole property is open to visitors, and all areas of the buildings can be explored freely. It is worth wearing shoes that are easy to remove, since some rooms with tatami floors are entered without footwear.
Isonokami Tsuyuko, a tanka poet of the 19th century, was born in this house. Her writing is still remembered in the region, and the place carries a connection to her literary life that visitors rarely expect to find in a merchant home.
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