Kabeya Shuseikan Hall / Sakurai Family Residence and Garden

The Sakurai family, known by their house name “Kabeya,” has a deep-rooted history in Izumo’s ancient ironworking tradition, the Tatara method. In the Edo period, the Sakurai family held the prestigious role of “Tesshi Toudori” (Head Ironmaster) for the Matsue Domain, and was entrusted as a county official. Alongside the Tanabe and Itohara families, the Sakurai family became renowned as one of the “Three Great Ironmaking Families”, continually advancing and preserving Tatara ironworking methods for generations.

The Sakurai family also contributed to regional development by cultivating farmland, supporting forestry, and fostering education and cultural pursuits in the Nita area. Adjacent to the main residence, the Kabeya Shuseikan Hall is a Japanese-style building constructed in the classic “irimoya-tsukuri” style with a sloped tiled roof, covering an area of 460 square meters. Open to the public, this hall houses an extensive collection of approximately 4,500 artifacts, including Tatara ironworking documents, hanging scrolls handwritten by Matsudaira Harusato (Fumai), antique manuscripts, and various daily furnishings and armor once used by the Sakurai family, as well as artworks from visiting poets and scholars.

This was a filming location for the Japanese drama series VIVANT.