Former Chiba family residence

The Former Chiba Family Residence is located in Kaita, which flourished as a post town on the Sanyo Road (Saigoku Kaido) in the early modern period, and is the former residence of the Chiba family, who held important positions at the post station. The residence, which was used as a place of rest for important people as a facility equivalent to an ochaya (honjin) or wakihonjin, faces the road and consists of the main house, a corner house, a sitting room, and a fountain garden. The sitting room, built in 1774, together with the annexes and fountain garden built around the same time, still retains the unified appearance of the original reception space. In 1991, the shoin study was designated an Important Cultural Property of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the fountain garden was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty of Hiroshima Prefecture. In 2011, the Chiba family donated the residence to Kaita Town, hoping that it would be useful for the preservation and study of the local history and culture.