Kominka Yamajutei is located along the old road in the Nakatsu-Kumasaka district of our town, which has retained its traditional atmosphere and has been selected as one of Kanagawa's top 100 townscapes. The Yamaju Residence was built in January 2009 by the town of Aikawa to restore and preserve its buildings and gardens for posterity, as it represents the residences of wealthy farmers in this region during the early Meiji period. It became a nationally registered tangible cultural property in April.
Built in 1883, this is the residence of Hanbei Kumasaka, a wealthy farmer in the Nakatsu area. ``Yamaju'' is the name of the Kumasaka family. It has a tiled roof and a gabled structure, and has a hall with tatami mat decorations inside. The house has a six-floor floor plan, and is built facing west, with a dirt floor on the south side and six rooms on the north side. The material used is zelkova, and the main pillar is approximately 50 cm square, and the upper tier is a single board approximately 62 cm wide and 713 cm long. In 1944, it was owned by the thinker Shumei Okawa, and after Shumei's death, it passed through another owner, and then became owned by the town in 1988. After some restoration, it has been open to the public since 1989.