Nagiso Town Museum

The history museum is located next to a Wakihonjin Okuya so you can visit there after Okuya.
It displays information on Nagiso Town, history of Kiso, townscape preservation movements, various types of townscape in Japan using models and videos that are easy to understand.
Nagiso Town Museum is comprised of three sites: this history museum, Tsumago Post Town Honjin, and Wakihonjin Okuya. You can visit all of them if you purchase an all-in-one ticket.

Wakihonjin Okuya is a family who owned a wakihonjin and was a wholesaler for generations. The current house was built in 1877 and was constructed using a generous amount of hinoki cypress wood that was once banned from harvesting. Today, the house is used as a museum. It exhibits many historical objects including old household tools and gifts from Princess Kazunomiya.
This is also the family into which Oyufu, Toson Shimazaki’s first love, married. You can see the marvelous structure of a prestigious family house in Japan here (designated as an important cultural property).
Nagiso Town Museum is comprised of three sites: This Wakihonjin Okuya, history museum, and Tsumago Post Town Honjin. You can visit all of them if you buy an all-in-one ticket. A guided tour is provided in Wakihonjin Okuya.

After post towns were established, Shimazaki family was appointed to operate the Tsumago Post Town Honjin. The family served as a Honjin and a village headman until the Meiji Period. This is the birthplace of Toson Shimazaki’s mother. The last head of the house was Hirosuke, Toson’s elder brother by blood who was adopted by his uncle and moved from Magome.
The Honjin was demolished, and the Tsumago branch of the Bureau of Imperial Estate was built there in 1899.
The restoration of the Honjin had been the locals’ wish from the beginning of the Tsumago Post Town preservation project. The Honjin was eventually rebuilt in April 1995, based on a plan from the late Edo Period, which belonged to the Shimazaki family.
Nagiso Town Museum is comprised of three sites: The Tsumago Post Town Honjin, history museum, and Wakihonjin Okuya. You can visit all of them if you buy the all-in-one ticket.

Hours

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Last admission: 4:45 p.m.)

Closed

Dec. 29 - Jan. 1 (4 days)