Konoike Shinden Kaisho
The Konoikes are known for having been an exuberantly wealthy merchant clique in the Edo era.
It is said that one of their ancestors was the loyal military commander from Japan’s Warring States period, Yamanaka Shikanosuke Yukimori.
The Konoikes amassed a fortune through their dealings in brewery, marine transportation, and the money-exchange business, which was the equivalent of a modern-day bank, and even contributed to developing 200 hectares of new rice fields (shinden).
The Konoike Shinden Kaisho is the facility where the management of these rice fields took place.
Structures and gardens from the Edo era remain at this site, and folk art donated by the Konoikes are also on display.
The site contains historically significant bookstores and storehouses that have been designated as part of Japan’s Important Cultural Properties.
