Takayama Jinya

The Takayama Jinya was a government outpost. The valuable timber resources in the Hida Region around Takayama was placed under direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1692. The Takayama Jinya (高 山陣屋) served as the local government office headed by the officials dispatched from Edo (present day Tokyo). The building complex was in official use until 1960. Today it is now open to the public as a museum. The structure includes various well-maintained tatami mat rooms that were once used as offices, conference rooms, guest rooms and residential space. There is also an interesting interrogation room. Beside the main building stands a large storehouse built in the 1600s. Known as the biggest traditional rice storehouse in Japan, it now functions as a museum, showcasing belongings and official documents of past feudal lords, old maps of the Hida Region and historic town plans.