Bitchu Ashimori Machinamikan

A Place of Rest, Preserving an Edo Period Atmosphere

The Bitchu Ashimori Machinami-kan is a reconstructed late-Edo period merchant house. The different types of lattice windows (koushimado and mushikomado) on the first and second floors, and the namako-kabe plaster walls also on the second floor, are striking features of traditional merchant architecture. Inside, you’ll find exhibits introducing local history and tourist attractions, as well as tourism brochures. The facility warmly welcomes visitors as a local information center.

Ashimori Domain’s Charm:The Kinoshita Legacy

In 1601, following the Battle of Sekigahara, Iesada—biological elder brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s lawful wife Nene (Kodai-in)—was granted the name Kinoshita and became the lord of Ashimori. For around 250 years thereafter, Ashimori flourished under the Kinoshita family. Today, the town still retains traces of its history as a town built around the domain lord residence (jin’yamachi), and various historic sites and attractions related to notable figures are scattered throughout.

People Connected to Ashimori Domain

Ashimori strolling around

Nearby Sightseeing Spots

  • Omizuen

  • Ginpukaku

  • Birthplace of Kinoshita Rigen

  • Former Ashimori Domain Samurai Residence

  • Birthplace of Ogata Koan

  • Ashimori History Promenade

  • Torii Gate of Ashimori Hachimangu Shrine

  • Old Ashimori Merchant Residence of Fujita Sennenji

Bitchu Ashimori Machinamikan

〒701-1463 928 Ashimori, Kita-ku, Okayama-shi TEL 086-295-2500 Hours 9：00 ～ 16：30 Closed Mondays (or the next weekday if Monday is a holiday), and during the New Year holiday. Free parking available nearby.

By Car

Approx. 12 minutes by car from the Okayama-Soja IC on the Okayama Expressway

By Train

Approx. 5 minutes by taxi from Ashimori Station on the JR Momotaro Line

Note: Visitors coming by car can use the parking lot in front of Ashimori Plaza, the Tourist Information Center parking lot, or the Fujita Senneji Residence parking lot.

Note: Ashimori Station does not have a taxi stand. Please reserve a taxi in advance if necessary.

Omizuen
This garden once belonged to the former Ashimori domain lords, the Kinoshita family. A pond at the center is fed by the Ashimori River, and visitors can fully enjoy the beauty of nature. The garden is believed to have been created in the early 18th century and is known as one of the three major daimyo gardens in Okayama Prefecture, alongside Okayama Korakuen (Okayama City) and Shurakuen (Tsuyama City).
Ginpukaku
This building faces the Omizuen pond. From the tatami room, you can view the entire garden. It features sukiya-style architecture, with unique details throughout. The second floor has a ceiling shaped like the bottom of a ship ( funazoko tenjo), while the first floor features a ceiling with narrow wood beams forming a right angle with the alcove (sashi tenjo).

  • Hours

    9:30 am–4:30 pm

  • Closed

    Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a holiday), the day after national holidays, and year-end/New Year (December 29–January 3)

  • Hours

    Free (separate fees apply for room rentals)

  • Note: The second floor is not open to the public.

Birthplace of Kinoshita Rigen
The birthplace of poet Kinoshita Rigen, a central figure of the Shirakaba literary group, was built in 1852 as an extension to the Ashimori domain residence. Preservation and restoration were completed in 2011. Documents related to the Toyotomi clan were rediscovered at the nagayamon gate in recent years, drawing much attention.

  • Hours

    9:30 am–4:30 pm

  • Closed

    (April–November) Monday to Thursday (excluding holidays)
    (December–March) Monday to Saturday

  • (These are the opening hours and days closed of the nagayamon gate.)

  • Hours

    Free

  • Note: The interior of the building is not open to the public.

Former Ashimori Domain Samurai Residence
This former residence of the Sugihara family, Kuni-garo (chief retainer in lord’s absence) in the Bitchu Ashimori domain is surrounded by a white-plaster-wall nagayamon gate and an earthen wall. It conveys the traditional lifestyle of Japan to the present day. The main house is said to be the precursor of the contemporary Japanese home. Next to the nagayamon is the onarimon, a gate used for the domain lord’s visits.

  • Hours

    9:30 am–4:30 pm

  • Closed

    Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a holiday),
    the day after national holidays, and year-end/New Year
    (December 29–January 3)

  • Hours

    Free (separate fees apply for room rentals)

Birthplace of Ogata Koan
The birthplace of Ogata Koan, regarded as the father of modern medicine in Japan. He promoted smallpox and cholera vaccination and founded Tekijuku school in Osaka, where he taught figures such as Fukuzawa Yukichi and Omura Masujiro. A statue and stone monument have been erected on the site.
Ashimori History Promenade
A main street connecting Ashimori Historical Garden, the center of the Ashimori Preservation District, to Ashimori Plaza. Historic buildings line the street, interspersed with renovated cafés and galleries.

  • Ashimori Plaza

  • Hours

    9:00 am–4:30 pm

  • Closed

    Mondays (or the next weekday if Monday is a holiday),
    and year-end/New Year (December 29–January 3)

  • Hours

    Free

Torii Gate of Ashimori Hachimangu Shrine
Located at the far end of the approach road stretching south from Ashimori Hachimangu Shrine, this torii gate is
a nationally designated cultural property. As a stone torii dating from the Nanboku-cho period (1337–1392), it
retains its original form and a rarity in Japan.
Old Ashimori Merchant Residence of Fujita Sennenji
A valuable structure that preserves the atmosphere of the late Edo period (1853–1867), when Fujita Sennenji began a soy sauce brewing business. In the Meiji period (1868–), the building was renovated with a hip-and-gable roof (irimoya-zukuri) covered with tiles (hongawara-buki) and finished with outer plaster walls, but inside, a reproduction of the former soy sauce factory lets visitors glimpse life in those days.

  • Hours

    9:00 am–4:30 pm

  • Closed

    Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a holiday),
    and during the year-end/New Year period

  • Hours

    Free