During the Edo period, the Sugiyama family was one of the wealthiest in the Jinaimachi town, owning several buildings, sake breweries, rice steaming plants and warehouses.

At their residence, this prosperity wasn’t indicated by the size of the rooms or by the interior decor, but by the presence of a tea ceremony room in the inner courtyard, visible outside, in the background of this photo.

Sugiyama house, Tondabayashi Jinaimachi

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Night street scene in Minato, Tokyo