The former Bakuro-machi (literally “horse merchant district”), where the Old Matsukura Family Residence stands, is located to the south of To-machi (literally “outside district”), which is near Kubota Castle. Bakuro-machi is where Ushu Highway and Sakata Highway (Ushuhama Highway) intersected. During the Edo period, this was a very lively transportation hub, including horse markets as well as a wharf on the approach to Kariho Bridge spanning Asahi River.
The Matsukura family became merchants around 1749, at which time they were an oil dealer, and in the Meiji era they also sold grain as a major landowner.
The Old Matsukura Family Residence is one of the largest merchant residences in Akita Prefecture, comprised of the main house (built in 1906), a rice storehouse (built before 1839), a valuables warehouse (built in 1866), and a covering structure (built near end of Meiji era). The main house features a gabled roof over the front, with rooms arranged in two rows along a courtyard. In addition, in the front there is a main reception room leading to a secondary reception room and a middle room to form an L-shaped layout.
It was designated a tangible cultural property by Akita Prefecture in 2017 as a valuable structure that effectively conveys the style of merchant residences found in Akita Prefecture beginning in the late Edo period.
Today, it has been transformed into a vibrant space where people casually gather and connect with each other. It has been preserved for the future as a valuable cultural asset that conveys the atmosphere of the time, and it also offers tatami rooms and a rice storehouse for rent, opens some areas to be used freely by the public, and hosts various events.
- Name:
- Old Matsukura Family Residence
- Phone Number:
- 018-811-4003
- Address:
- 2-7-29 Kyokunan, Akita City 010-0925
- Closed:
- Tuesdays (next day in case of national holiday), year end and new year (Dec. 29 to Jan. 3)
- Business Hours:
- 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (until 9:00 p.m. when renting room)
- Price:
- Free (fee required to rent rooms)
- Parking:
- Parking for 13 vehicles (two of which are disabled parking)
- URL:
- https://matsukura-akita.com/
