Japanese traditional house, Kikuya residence in Hagi

One of the oldest and best preserved traditional merchant houses in Japan is the Kikuya residence, in the Hagi castle town.

Because it was the most important residence of its type, during the Tokugawa shogunate was used for accommodation by the government's inspectors, so it was preserved as it was at the beginning of the Edo period, 350 years ago. Besides the main house, the Kikuya residence also includes several annex buildings, and it was declared an Important Cultural Properties.