Ishiba Family Residence

The Ishiba Family Residence locates in the city of Hirosaki in Aomori prefecture. The traditional house is a national important cultural property, and is one of the few remaining merchant residences of the Tohoku region.
The house is said to have been built around the mid-Edo period (1603 – 1867). The Ishibas were a family of merchants that sold sundry goods, and their heads were named Seibei every generation.
The building is still being used as a house, and only a part of it is open to the public. The inside of the house has not changed much since the Edo period, with items such as a traditional irori hearth still remaining in the house.
Today, the house is also used as a brewery. You can purchase locally brewed sake at the house.