Traditional Buildings Preservation District Town Walk

The townscape of Yuasa is nostalgic as it was lined with soy sauce breweries during the Edo period! The town layout remains the same today, with relatively wide streets and winding alleys called "shojikoji."We also recommend walking with a storyteller from the Yuasa Guide Association who is knowledgeable about the history of the town and each building.

Yuasa is the only area in Wakayama Prefecture that has an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings (commonly known as the "Denken District")!

It is lined with townhouses and storehouses related to the brewing industry that were built from the early modern period to the modern era, and the traditional townscape that flourished in the brewing of soy sauce and Kinzanji miso remains.

A town that tells the history of brewing

Soy sauce, which is said to have been created during the manufacturing process of Kinzanji miso, which was introduced to Japan during the Kamakura period, was well protected by the Kishu domain and its sales network expanded outside the domain.During the Bunka era (1804-1818), it flourished as a representative industry in Yuasa, with as many as 92 soy sauce shops operating there.After the Meiji Restoration, the protection of the domain was lifted and the number of soy sauce brewers decreased significantly. However, the construction of roads, railways, and facilities associated with modernization was mainly carried out around the old town, so the townscape that inherited its early modern form remains unchanged to this day.

What is a traditional building preservation district?

Soy sauce, which is said to have been created during the manufacturing process of Kinzan-ji miso, which was introduced to Japan during the Kamakura period, was well protected by the Kishu domain and its sales network expanded outside the domain.During the Bunka era (1804-1818), it flourished as a representative industry in Yuasa, with as many as 92 soy sauce shops operating there.After the Meiji Restoration, the number of soy sauce brewers decreased significantly as the protection of the domain was lifted, but due to modernization, the construction of roads, railways, and facilities was mainly carried out around the old city area, so the early modern form remained. The townscape inherited from the past is still preserved as it was in the past.

*This post automatically translated by google translator*