Takayama · Central Takayama
Takayama Jinya
In 1692 the Tokugawa shoguns moved the Kanamori family, the rulers of Hida, to another province, and took Hida under direct rule because of its timber, charcoal and mines. From this site the shogun's representatives governed the province for 176 years, until the end of the Edo period, and it went on serving as a government office until 1969.
At the end of the Edo period there were about sixty such offices in Japan. According to the official website, this is the only one where the main buildings from that period survive. The rice storehouse, the okura, is estimated to have been built around 1600. Today it holds an exhibition.
Inside: a 49-tatami reception hall, the representative's living quarters, and rabbit-shaped covers on the nail heads. The oshirasu is the courtroom, where the accused were interrogated and tried. Hida has no sea, so instead of white sand its floor is covered with river pebbles, and it is roofed because of the snow. Next to it, instruments of punishment are on display.
Good to know
- There is a free guided tour, in Japanese and in foreign languages, for a group of 1 to 10. You choose the length, from a few minutes to an hour, and a 30 to 40 minute version reaches the courtroom. Request it by phone at 0577-32-0643.
- Between 11:30 and 13:30 there are no tours, so if you want a guide, come in the morning.
- You walk through the whole building without shoes. The website asks you to bring a bag for your shoes.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Takayama Jinya.
- HereTakayama Jinya
- 1 min
Jinya-mae Morning Market Street
Takayama's second morning market, in the square in front of the historic Jinya government house.
- ~5 min
Hisadaya Food
A restaurant in a townhouse from the late Edo period. Hida beef in miso and mountain vegetables. Lunch only.
- ~5 min
Ohnoya Jozo Shopping
Makers of miso and soy sauce with no sweeteners or food coloring. The business started as a koji maker in the middle of the 18th century. In the shop you can taste miso soup every day.
- ~6 min
Sakaguchiya Food
A Hida beef restaurant founded in the middle of the Meiji period. Here too there is Hida beef nigiri on a rice cracker, and inside, sit-down meals.
- ~6 min
Sabo Onoya Cafe
A teahouse in a merchant house about a hundred years old, from the Taisho period. Matcha and zenzai, a sweet red bean soup with rice dumplings.
More in Central Takayama
Appears in: Takayama: the morning markets, the Sanmachi lanes, sake and Hida beef