Gosyo Inaba Honke, Merchant residence in Kyōtango, Japan.
Gosyo Inaba Honke is a merchant residence in Kyotango built with multiple wooden structures arranged around a central courtyard. The buildings display traditional Japanese carpentry with refined details in roofs, window frames, and interior dividing walls.
The Inaba family built their wealth during the Edo Period through koji production, then expanded into maritime trade along the coast. The building has been preserved over centuries as a working merchant house.
The residence shows how a successful merchant family organized their daily life and business under one roof, with spaces flowing from private living areas to commercial sections. Visitors can still see how these rooms function as gathering spaces today.
The house is open to visitors at no cost on most days, except Wednesdays, giving you time to walk through the rooms at your own pace. A restaurant within the complex serves regional dishes and offers a break in a historic setting.
The restaurant within the complex has been preparing bara-zushi and bota-mochi for more than 200 years using recipes from the original merchant household. Some of these dishes still follow cooking methods that date back to the Edo Period.
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