Sairi Yashiki, also known as the Sairi Yashiki Folk Museum, is a fascinating historic museum in Marumori, Miyagi Prefecture. The museum occupies the former residence and storehouses of the Saito Risuke family, a wealthy merchant family that prospered from the late Edo period through the early Showa period.
The Saito family began as a kimono and textile merchant and gradually expanded into a wide range of businesses, including sake and food-related production, soy sauce and miso brewing, finance, silk trading, manufacturing, and electricity generation. The family remained prosperous for seven generations and played an important role in the economic and social development of Marumori.
Today, the family’s former residence and numerous storehouses have been preserved as a museum. Visitors can explore the buildings, collections, and grounds while gaining an impression of how a prosperous merchant family lived and conducted business in Japan during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Saito family began conducting business in Marumori in 1804, during the Edo period. This was around the time when the town underwent a relocation project known as Machiba-gae, which was carried out partly as a measure against flooding.
The family initially dealt in kimono fabrics and other textiles. As the business grew, they expanded into sericulture and the trading of raw silk, taking advantage of the region’s agricultural and commercial opportunities.
After the beginning of the Meiji period, the Saito family continued to diversify. Their businesses included the production and sale of miso and soy sauce, a sewing factory, a power plant, and financial services.
The family’s ability to adapt to changing economic conditions made them one of Marumori’s most influential merchant families. Their activities supported not only commerce but also aspects of everyday life in the local community.
The family’s long period of prosperity came to an end in 1950, approximately 146 years after they began their business in Marumori.
After World War II, the postwar land reforms resulted in the loss of much of the family’s land, while new business ventures failed to achieve lasting success. The family’s commercial activities consequently declined.
However, the story of the Saito family did not end there. In 1986, the seventh-generation head of the family donated the former residences, storehouses, and their collections to Marumori Town.
Following approximately two years of research, restoration, and preparation, the site opened in 1988 as the Sairi Yashiki Folk Museum, beginning a new chapter in its history as a place where the heritage of the Saito family could be shared with the public.
The Sairi Yashiki property covers approximately 6,535 square meters. The spacious grounds contain a variety of historic buildings and structures, including the main residence, storehouses, gates, and a traditional stone bath.
One of the most important buildings is the Storehouse facing Prefectural Route 45. Built in 1848, it is the oldest surviving building on the property.
The building once served as part of the family’s commercial operations and provides visitors with a glimpse into the world of merchant houses during the late Edo period.
In 2011, a total of 12 buildings and structures at Sairi Yashiki were registered as Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
These include residential buildings and storehouses used for business, as well as specialized storehouses that reveal different aspects of family life.
Yome-no-Kura, or the “Bride’s Storehouse,” was used to store items associated with marriage and bridal life. Its contents offer an insight into the customs and material culture surrounding marriage in a wealthy merchant household.
Warabe-no-Kura, or the “Children’s Storehouse,” contains objects associated with children and childhood. Together with the other storehouses, it helps visitors understand how different aspects of family life were organized within a prosperous merchant household.
The registered cultural properties also include the stone bath, lightning rod tower, outdoor lamps, stone pillars for electrical wires, front gate, and rear gate.
These structures are particularly interesting because they reveal more than the family’s wealth. They also show how technology, architecture, business, and daily life changed from the Edo period into the modern era.
The museum’s collections include clothing, household furnishings, artworks, commercial tools, and other objects connected with the Saito family and the history of Marumori.
Each storehouse has its own theme, allowing visitors to discover a different aspect of the family’s life as they move from one building to another. Rather than viewing the collection as a single exhibition, exploring the individual storehouses creates a sense of gradually uncovering the history of the household.
One particularly interesting building is Toki-no-Kura, or the “Storehouse of Time.” It contains clocks and other objects related to timekeeping.
The exhibits offer an opportunity to consider how people measured and experienced time in earlier periods, providing a small but fascinating window into everyday life before modern technology became commonplace.
Sairi Yashiki holds a variety of special exhibitions throughout the year. Three of the best-known seasonal events are the Tango no Sekku Exhibition, Sairi New Year Exhibition, and Sairi Hina Festival.
The Tango no Sekku exhibition features traditional Japanese decorations associated with the May 5 seasonal festival. Visitors can see impressive samurai dolls, helmets, and other traditional items.
The displays provide an excellent introduction to the customs surrounding traditional Japanese seasonal celebrations.
The Sairi Hina Festival showcases elegant hina dolls, which are traditionally displayed in Japan during the Hinamatsuri festival in March.
The dolls and decorations create a colorful atmosphere within the historic merchant residence and offer overseas visitors an opportunity to learn about one of Japan’s best-known traditional family celebrations.
In December, the Sairi New Year Exhibition recreates traditional preparations for the Japanese New Year.
The displays show how families prepared their homes and daily lives for the arrival of the New Year in earlier times, allowing visitors to experience customs that are deeply connected with Japanese seasonal culture.
One of the most atmospheric events at Sairi Yashiki is Sairi Genya, held around early August every year.
Approximately 1,000 illuminated picture lanterns are displayed around the museum and the surrounding streets. As the lanterns glow after sunset, the historic buildings and streets take on a dreamlike appearance.
The scenery is designed to evoke the atmosphere of the Taisho period, an era in Japan from 1912 to 1926 known for its distinctive mixture of traditional Japanese culture and modern influences.
The event involves the wider community, bringing local residents and visitors together for one of Marumori’s most distinctive summer traditions.
Located on the second floor of the Storehouse is the Taisho Romantic Café, a charming café furnished with antique-style furniture.
Soft natural light enters through the windows, creating a relaxed atmosphere that makes the café a pleasant place to rest after exploring the museum.
One of the café’s attractions is its “Monthly Set Meal”, which makes use of seasonal ingredients and offers a different taste of the local area depending on the time of year.
Taking a break here after touring the historic buildings is a wonderful way to slow down and enjoy the atmosphere of Sairi Yashiki.
Opening hours vary by season:
Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.
The museum is normally closed on Mondays. When Monday is a national holiday, it is closed on the following day instead.
From Marumori Station on the Abukuma Express Line, the site can be reached by bus in approximately 7 minutes. It is also about a 25-minute walk from the station.
For visitors arriving by car, parking is available for approximately 20 vehicles.
Sairi Yashiki is more than a historic residence. It is a place where architecture, commerce, family life, traditional culture, and the history of Marumori come together.
The preserved storehouses and residences allow visitors to see how a wealthy merchant family lived and worked, while the museum’s collections provide tangible evidence of their daily lives and businesses.
Seasonal exhibitions such as the Tango no Sekku, Hina Festival, and New Year displays introduce visitors to Japanese customs, while the summer Sairi Genya event transforms the historic streets with hundreds of illuminated lanterns.
For international travelers interested in Japanese history, traditional architecture, merchant culture, antiques, seasonal festivals, and local heritage, Sairi Yashiki offers a particularly rewarding cultural experience in Miyagi Prefecture. A visit here provides a chance to step away from modern city life and experience the atmosphere of a historic Japanese merchant town.
March - November 9:30-17:00
December - February: 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday)
Taisho-roman coffee shop: Mondays and Thursdays
Adults 620 yen
Child 310 yen
Admission to the Sairi Yashiki is not required if you use only the Taisho-Roman Café.
5 minutes by bus or cab from Marumori Station on Abukuma Kyuko Line
30 minutes from Shiroishi IC on Tohoku Expressway