Kamisagaya: The Upper Saga House
Wood as a Form of Currency
This old inn, known as the Upper Saga House, was restored in 1969. While more elite travelers stayed at the primary inn (honjin) or the secondary inn (waki-honjin), the Upper Saga House was the most modest form of accommodation available here. It was known as a kichin-yado, literally “an inn where you pay in wood,” since the purchase of wood from the landlord would allow one to spend the night. In the early Edo period, travelers would bring their own food with them, and they needed to buy wood to heat it up. Guests slept in the tatami room, sharing the space with strangers. This room, which has an overall area of 12 tatami mats, could be subdivided into smaller spaces when necessary.