Kumagai Residence

The residence of the Kumagai family, a merchant family deeply involved in the operation of the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine. Built in 1801, this valuable example of traditional residential architecture is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan and is also one of the component assets of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape."

Now open to the public after preservation and restoration work, the residence stands on a site of Approx. 1,500 square meters and includes the main house, five storehouses such as a clothing storehouse and a tools storehouse, and a barn. The inner reception room used for entertaining officials of feudal lord families and for gatherings, the second floor of the main house with its six rooms, and the kitchen equipped with 10 large and small kamado stoves are all impressively spacious, befitting the lifestyle of the area's most prosperous merchant. Also on display are model recreations of boxed meals served during festivals and memorial services, as well as bridal furnishings from the time, offering a look at the status and way of life of a prominent merchant from the late Edo period to its final years.

Following old customs, the indoor spaces change with the seasons, with fusuma sliding doors, shoji screens, and decorations replaced to match the time of year, which has earned praise for offering a deeper sense of Japanese beauty and tradition. A popular hands-on program also lets visitors use the kitchen's kamado stove to experience traditional rice cooking, including chopping firewood and cooking rice (fee required, reservation required).