Musashiya Shop — A Meiji-Era Storehouse Restaurant on the Old Nikko Kaido
In the heart of Koga, a quiet castle town in western Ibaraki Prefecture, a black-walled two-story building stands with a quiet, formidable presence along a small street known today as Yokomachi Yanagi-dori. This is the Musashiya Shop (武蔵屋店舗), a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan and one of the finest surviving examples of a Meiji-period restaurant built in the dozo-zukuri (土蔵造り) storehouse construction style. For more than a century, the building has welcomed travelers and townspeople alike, and today it still operates as a long-established unagi (freshwater eel) restaurant.
Standing on the former Nikko Kaido — one of the five great highways of the Edo period — Musashiya is more than a beautiful old building. It is a living window onto the merchant culture of the post-town of Koga-juku, where samurai retainers, traveling shogunal processions, and ordinary townspeople once mingled.
What Is the Musashiya Shop?
The Musashiya Shop is a two-story dozo-zukuri (mud-walled storehouse-style) restaurant building with a hipped roof of pantiles. Its outer walls are painted lustrous black above a base of stone cladding that rises to roughly waist height, giving the building both a robust appearance and excellent fire resistance. The front of the second floor opens onto a generous veranda lined with a wooden handrail — a feature that hints at the building's original use as a place of refined hospitality, where guests could pause to enjoy the view of the street life below.
The building covers a floor area of approximately 72 square meters and is accompanied by a traditional gate. While compact in footprint, it conveys the dignity and craftsmanship of a high-quality Meiji-period commercial structure designed both to impress and to endure.
A History Reaching Back to the Edo Period
The origins of Musashiya stretch back to the late Edo period, when a teahouse named "Urushiya" (漆屋) operated on the same site, serving travelers passing through Koga-juku — the ninth (or, by some counts, eighth) post-town along the Nikko Kaido as it ran from Edo (modern Tokyo) toward the great Toshogu Shrine in Nikko.
In 1911 (Meiji 44), the business was reorganized as a full-fledged ryori-ya (Japanese restaurant) and renamed "Musashiya." The current building is generally dated to the mid-Meiji period, making it well over 130 years old. The shop has operated continuously through the Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras, weathering wars, economic upheavals, and changing tastes while preserving its physical fabric and family business.
From November 2010 to December 2011 the building underwent extensive restoration and refurbishment, allowing the old timbers and walls to be conserved while modernizing the interior facilities. It reopened in December 2011 and was added to the national register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on June 21, 2013.
Why Was It Designated a Cultural Property?
In Japan, the Registered Tangible Cultural Property system was created to protect a wide range of historic buildings, especially modern-era structures of the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods that contribute to local cultural landscapes. Musashiya was chosen because it powerfully evokes the atmosphere of the historic Koga-juku post-town and represents a distinct architectural type — the dozo-zukuri urban restaurant building — that has become increasingly rare.
The building's significance can be summarized in three points. First, it is a high-quality surviving example of late-Meiji commercial architecture in a former post-town, with its black-plastered walls, stone-clad base, and open second-floor veranda all characteristic of a refined urban ryori-ya. Second, it forms an important part of the streetscape of the former Nikko Kaido at Koga, helping preserve the visual memory of one of the major highways of early modern Japan. Third, the continuous operation of the same family business inside the building, as a place of dining and hospitality for over a century, gives the heritage a rare living-cultural dimension.
Highlights for Visitors
The Black-Walled Facade
Musashiya's most striking feature is its tall, dignified black exterior. The thick earthen walls — finished with layers of plaster and finally a black coating — were designed not only for aesthetic effect but to resist fire, an ever-present danger in densely built post-towns. Looking up at the upper story from the street, one can imagine the building rising above more modest neighbors more than a century ago, a clear marker of the establishment's standing in the community.
The Second-Floor Veranda
The open veranda with its slender wooden handrail running along the front of the second floor is more than decoration. In the Meiji and Taisho years, customers seated upstairs could enjoy a relaxed view of the bustling street below, an architectural gesture toward the leisure and conviviality that defined a fine ryori-ya.
A Living Restaurant — Specializing in Eel
Today Musashiya is best known as a specialist unagi (freshwater eel) restaurant. Eel grilled with a sweet-savory soy-based tare, served over rice in lacquer boxes, is one of the great traditions of Japanese cuisine, and it is hard to imagine a more atmospheric setting in which to enjoy it. The first floor offers hall-style seating, while the second floor has tatami zashiki rooms suitable for small groups, allowing visitors to dine within an officially designated cultural property.
The Former Nikko Kaido Streetscape
Musashiya stands on the street known today as Yokomachi Yanagi-dori, a section of the old Nikko Kaido that once formed the heart of Koga-juku. Walking the street and looking at the cluster of historic buildings here is the best way to feel the lingering atmosphere of an Edo- and Meiji-era post-town.
Birthplace of the Lantern Pole Festival
Across from Musashiya, a stone monument marks the birthplace of the Koga Chochin-zao-momi Matsuri (古河提灯竿もみまつり), known as one of the "strange festivals of the Kanto region." Held on the first Saturday of December, the festival features teams of participants wielding bamboo poles nearly 20 meters tall topped with paper lanterns, jostling against each other to extinguish their rivals' flames. The festival's roots lie in the welcoming back of priests of nearby Nogi Shrine after their seven-village pilgrimage, and Yokomachi was historically the main venue.
The Surrounding Area — A Walking Tour of Old Koga
Koga's compact historic core is wonderfully suited to walking, and Musashiya makes a natural anchor for a half-day or full-day exploration of the town. Within easy walking distance you will find the Koga Museum of History (古河歴史博物館), built on the site of the old Koga Castle, where exhibits introduce the unique cultural achievements of Koga, including the legacy of the rangaku (Dutch studies) scholar Takami Senseki. Adjacent to the museum is the Takami Senseki Memorial Hall (鷹見泉石記念館), a serene Edo-period samurai residence that served as Senseki's final home.
Nearby, the Tenkoku Art Museum (篆刻美術館), Japan's first museum dedicated to the art of seal engraving, is itself a registered cultural property, housed in a converted 1920 stone storehouse. The Koga Literature Museum (古河文学館) showcases authors connected with the city, and the former residence of the historical novelist Nagai Michiko is preserved nearby. A short walk further out stands Suzume Shrine (雀神社), one of the oldest spiritual centers in the region, while Koga Kubo Park honors the medieval Ashikaga lords who made Koga their base. In early spring, the Koga Peach Blossom Festival fills Koga Sogo Park with vivid blooms.
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Q&A
- Can visitors enter Musashiya Shop, or is it only viewed from the outside?
- Visitors are warmly welcome to enter — Musashiya operates today as a working eel restaurant. Dining there is the most rewarding way to experience the cultural property, as you can see the interior, the second-floor zashiki rooms, and the original timber framing while enjoying a traditional meal. Reservations are recommended, especially for the upstairs rooms or larger groups.
- How do I get to Musashiya from Tokyo?
- Musashiya is conveniently located about an 8-minute walk from the West Exit of JR Koga Station. Koga is on the JR Utsunomiya Line (also served by the Ueno-Tokyo Line and Shonan-Shinjuku Line), and direct trains from Ueno or Tokyo Station take roughly 60–70 minutes, making it an easy day trip from central Tokyo.
- When was the building constructed and when was it designated?
- The current building dates to the mid-Meiji period (around the 1880s–1890s). The site itself had earlier been occupied by a teahouse called Urushiya in the late Edo period, and the business was renamed Musashiya in 1911 (Meiji 44). The building was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property on June 21, 2013.
- What kind of food can I eat there?
- Musashiya specializes in unagi (freshwater eel) cuisine. Typical dishes include unaju (grilled eel served on rice in a lacquer box) and full course meals featuring eel and seasonal Japanese accompaniments. It is also possible to host group dinners and small banquets in the upstairs rooms.
- Is there a good time of year to visit?
- Koga is rewarding throughout the year. Late March features the Koga Peach Blossom Festival, while early December brings the dramatic Lantern Pole Festival on a street just steps from Musashiya. Summer is the traditional season for eating eel in Japan, making it an especially appropriate time to dine at Musashiya. Whatever the season, the historic streetscape of Yokomachi Yanagi-dori is atmospheric and uncrowded.
Basic Information
| Name | Musashiya Shop (武蔵屋店舗) |
|---|---|
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan (Building); Registration No. 08-0256 |
| Date of Registration | June 21, 2013 (Heisei 25) |
| Construction Period | Mid-Meiji period (late 19th century) |
| Structure | Two-story dozo-zukuri (storehouse-style); hipped roof with pantiles; black-plastered exterior with stone cladding to waist height; gate; floor area approx. 72 m² |
| Original Use | Ryori-ya (Japanese restaurant), preceded on the site by a late-Edo teahouse called Urushiya |
| Current Use | Unagi (eel) restaurant — Musashiya |
| Address | 1-5535-2 Yokomachi, Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture (postal code 306-0022); on the former Nikko Kaido (Yokomachi Yanagi-dori) |
| Owner | Musashiya Co., Ltd. |
| Access | Approximately 8 minutes on foot from the West Exit of JR Koga Station (JR Utsunomiya Line / Ueno-Tokyo Line / Shonan-Shinjuku Line) |
| Notes | Operating as a restaurant; reservations recommended. Hours and closing days are subject to change — please check the official website before visiting. |
References
- Musashiya Shop — Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Cultural Properties Database
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6017/
- Musashiya Official Website (Eel Restaurant on the Former Nikko Kaido)
- http://www.musashiya.info/index.html
- Designated and Registered Cultural Properties — Koga City Official Website
- https://www.city.ibaraki-koga.lg.jp/soshiki/bunka/15/siteitourokubunnkazai/index.html
- Koga-juku — Wikipedia (Japanese)
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8F%A4%E6%B2%B3%E5%AE%BF
- From the Nikko Kaido to Sakanamachi-dori — Koga City Tourism Association (Koga Navi)
- https://www.kogakanko.jp/history/nikkokaido_sakanamachi
- Koga Chochin-zao-momi Matsuri — Koga City Tourism Association
- https://www.kogakanko.jp/chochin
- Koga Museum of History — Koga City Official Website
- https://www.city.ibaraki-koga.lg.jp/soshiki/rekihaku/top.html
Last verified: 2026.05.06