Omachi's first fireproof merchant house
The Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House (平林家住宅主屋, Hirabayashi-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) in Omachi, Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, is a Machiya merchant house built in 1890 for a family of salt wholesalers, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 27, 2017 (number 20-0515). Shop and home in one, it is now the main building of Shio no Michi Chojiya, a museum of the old Salt Road, and its interior is open to visitors.
The house faces south onto a street in central Omachi with a frontage of 7 bays. It is built in the Dozo-zukuri manner, the thick, plastered walls of a Japanese storehouse applied to a whole house, 2 storeys high under a tiled roof, with a building area of 313 m². It was renovated in 1982.
Rebuilt after the fire of 1889
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House was rebuilt after the great fire of 1889 to a design by the master carpenter Tateishi Seijū, who worked fireproofing into the structure. Being the first dozo-zukuri merchant house in Omachi is the heart of its value. Tateishi is also remembered as the builder involved in the former Kaichi School in Matsumoto, one of the best-known Western-style buildings of early Meiji Japan.
The museum adds that the house was rebuilt to the plan it had in the salt-trading years and given Udatsu, raised firewalls between roofs, making it the first house in Omachi designed to resist fire. The Agency singles out its formal Shikidai entrance and separate wing of reception rooms as typical of a well-to-do town house, and registered it as a model of form.
What to look for: beams and a 22-mat room
Step through the entrance and look up. Above the earth-floored Doma the ceiling rises high, and a framework of heavy beams spreads overhead; it is the first thing the museum asks visitors to notice.
The ground floor keeps the counting room where salt was sold, along with furnishings handed down in the Hirabayashi family. The Zashiki at the back, 22 tatami mats in size, is where important guests were received. It looks onto a small courtyard garden where rhododendrons flower in season.
Upstairs, displays on the Chikuni Kaido show the gear of the ox drivers who hauled goods on the Salt Road and of the bokka, porters who carried loads on their backs over the passes, together with travelling clothes of the period.
Visiting
The Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House is where a visit to Shio no Michi Chojiya begins, and admission covers the doma, the counting room, the zashiki and the upstairs galleries. The zashiki is also hired out for events and meetings.
The museum's published information does not say whether photography is allowed inside; ask at the reception. Opening hours, admission and directions are on the Hirabayashi Family Residence (Shio no Michi Chojiya) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House in Omachi built?
- In 1890. It replaced a house lost in the great fire of 1889, and it was renovated in 1982.
- When was the Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House registered as a cultural property?
- On October 27, 2017, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 20-0515.
- Who designed the Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the master carpenter Tateishi Seijū. It was the first fire-resistant dozo-zukuri merchant house in Omachi.
- Can you go inside the Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House?
- Yes. It is open as part of the Shio no Michi Chojiya museum, and admission covers the doma, counting room, zashiki and upstairs galleries. The museum is closed on Wednesdays and over the New Year.
- How is the Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House built?
- It is dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys with a tiled roof, a building area of 313 m² and a frontage of 7 bays, facing south onto the street with a shikidai entrance and a wing of reception rooms.
Basic Information
| Name | Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House (平林家住宅主屋), Shio no Michi Chojiya |
|---|---|
| Location | 2572-1 Omachi, Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 20-0515 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/10/27 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof; building area 313 m²; frontage 7 bays |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Open as part of Shio no Michi Chojiya (admission charged; closed Wednesdays and over the New Year) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011956
- Cultural Heritage Online — Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House (Omachi)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/294840
- Shio no Michi Chojiya — Museum guide
- https://choji-ya.jp/museum.html
- Shio no Michi Chojiya — Home page
- https://choji-ya.jp/
- go NAGANO, Nagano Prefecture official tourism site — Shio no Michi Chojiya and Yabusame Hall
- https://db.go-nagano.net/topics_detail6/id=2774
Last verified: 2026.10.06
