With a simple and sober exterior and an elegant and comfortable interior, decorated like the palaces of the medieval lords, the Sumiya building in the Shimabara district of Kyoto is a masterpiece of the ageya architectural style.

Sumiya is also the only such building that survived in its original form in Kyoto, and in 1952 it was designated an Important Cultual Property.

Sumiya, Shimabara, Kyoto

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Zenshin bridge of the Bikan Historical Quarter