Former Yakage Wakihonjin Takakusa Family Residence (Yakage

Former Yakage Wakihonjin Takakusa Family Residence: A Hidden Treasure of the Old San'yō Road

In the quiet town of Yakage in Okayama Prefecture stands one of Japan's most remarkable post-town treasures. The Former Yakage Wakihonjin Takakusa Family Residence (旧矢掛脇本陣高草家住宅) is a sprawling historical estate of nine designated buildings that once served as the auxiliary lodging for feudal lords traveling along the old San'yō Road. With its striking white walls, distinctive tiled storehouses, and beautifully preserved interiors, this site offers visitors an authentic window into the world of Edo-period Japan. Together with the nearby Honjin Ishii Family Residence, it makes Yakage the only post town in all of Japan where both the honjin and wakihonjin survive as Important Cultural Properties.

Historical Background: From Warrior Lineage to Wealthy Merchants

The Takakusa family traces its origins to the Yamana clan, a powerful warrior house that ruled parts of the San'in region during the Sengoku period. After their stronghold of Shikano Castle in Takakusa District (in present-day Tottori Prefecture) fell to the forces of Hashiba Hideyoshi during the Inaba campaign, a branch of the family fled south toward the Bingo region and eventually settled in Yakage.

In 1758, during the mid-Edo period, the family established their residence at the present location and began operating as money changers under the trade name "Higashi Hirata-ke." Their financial acumen earned them positions of considerable responsibility: they served as treasurers and licensed brokers for the Niwase Domain, and as ōshōya (great village headmen) overseeing local administration.

By around 1840, during the late Edo period, the family had expanded their estate to its present grand form. They were the last to serve as the wakihonjin of Yakage-juku, providing lodging for senior retainers when the main honjin was full or when secondary parties of dignitaries required accommodation.

The Story of Yakage-juku: 18th Post Town on the San'yō Road

During the Edo period, the San'yō Road was one of Japan's most important highways, connecting the political capital of Edo (modern Tokyo) with western Japan and serving as the route for daimyō traveling under the sankin-kōtai system of alternate attendance. Yakage-juku was the 18th of the road's post stations, a thriving way-station where lords, court nobles, shogunal officials, and their large entourages stopped to rest and resupply.

The town's most famous historical visitor was Princess Atsu (Tenshōin), who passed through on her journey from Satsuma to Edo to marry the Tokugawa shōgun. Today, the entire main street of Yakage retains its Edo-period townscape so faithfully that it has been designated a National Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, with around 200 historic structures lining the 900-meter stretch.

Why It Was Designated an Important Cultural Property

On June 20, 1969, nine buildings of the Takakusa Family Residence were collectively designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The official designation document highlights several key reasons for this recognition.

First, with the exception of the front gate—which was relocated to the site from the former Yakage jin'ya (administrative office) in early Meiji—the buildings and grounds preserve almost intact the configuration that the estate took on in the early nineteenth century. This continuity is exceptionally rare among surviving post-town residences.

Second, the residence conveys the complete picture of how a wakihonjin establishment along the San'yō Road was organized. From the street-facing front building through the formal reception rooms to the storehouse complex at the rear, the estate embodies the full layered structure of an elite merchant-administrator household of its era.

Third, the architecture itself is of high quality. The main house is dated by its construction record (普請帳) to 1833, while the oldest surviving building, the middle storehouse (Nakakura), dates to 1764. Together they represent a continuous evolution of building techniques across more than a century of careful family stewardship.

Architectural Highlights and Points of Interest

The estate occupies approximately 2,000 square meters and contains nine designated structures, each with its own character.

The Front Building (Omoteya) and Main House (Shuoku)

Facing the street, the Omoteya is built in irimoya (hip-and-gable) style with a hongawara tiled roof and a hira-iri entrance that opens onto the highway. Behind it, parallel to the front building, runs the main house with its kirizuma (gabled) roof at a stepped elevation. The two are connected by perpendicular wings, creating a layered floor plan that allowed the family to receive distinguished guests in a refined formal sequence.

The Reception Suite and Shōinrō Parlor

Unlike the more formal honjin across the way, the Takakusa residence integrates its reception rooms within the main house using the elegant sukiya-style aesthetic associated with tea-house architecture. The famous Shōinrō (松蔭楼), or "Pine Shadow Pavilion," storehouse-parlor served as a refined space for receiving guests of distinction.

The Storehouse Complex

Walking deeper into the estate, visitors encounter a remarkable array of storehouses—Uchikura (inner), Ōkura (large), Nakakura (middle), Monkura (gate), and Komekura (rice). The walls feature striking namako-kabe tilework, a pattern of square tiles set in a diamond grid and joined by raised plaster ridges. Together with the white plaster walls, this creates the distinctive black-and-white visual rhythm for which the estate is famous.

The Tea Room and Roji Garden

At the innermost rear of the property lies a tea room and a roji-style garden, offering a moment of meditative quiet at the end of the procession through the estate.

Visiting the Residence

The interior of the Former Yakage Wakihonjin is open for public viewing on Saturdays and Sundays only, from 10:00 to 15:00. The modest admission fee allows visitors to walk through the main house, view the reception rooms, and explore the storehouse complex from the rear courtyard. The site has also gained additional fame as a filming location for an NHK television drama in 2023, drawing fresh attention to its photogenic architecture.

Photographers will appreciate the narrow alleyway running alongside the property, known locally as Ōtakakusa-Kōji, where the towering namako-kabe walls of the storehouses press in on both sides to create an atmospheric corridor of black-and-white pattern.

Surrounding Attractions in Yakage

A visit to the Wakihonjin pairs naturally with several other attractions within easy walking distance.

• Former Yakage Honjin Ishii Family Residence — The main inn, located 400 meters west, is the only honjin in Japan that survives as an Important Cultural Property alongside its matching wakihonjin.
• Yakage Machiya Kōryūkan — A community space and tourist information center housed in a beautifully restored merchant townhouse, offering a panoramic view from its tower.
• Yakage Local Art Museum — A townhouse-style gallery exhibiting works by artists with ties to Yakage, with a 360-degree observation deck.
• Yakage Shukuba Festival — Held on the second Sunday of November, this annual event recreates an Edo-period daimyō procession with around 100 costumed participants parading along the historic main street.
• Old San'yō Road Streetscape — The 900-meter preserved historic district, with its renovated cafes, sweet shops, and traditional inns, rewards a leisurely stroll.