Kumagaya Family House
The Hierarchy of the Home
This house, which dates from the early nineteenth century, is a nagaya row house that extends a long way back. It was built by combining two larger houses that gave directly onto the road. Where the packed-earth floor meets the wooden floor with the irori hearth was the dividing line between the two original houses.
Among the items of machinery on display are a pedal-operated rice husker, a boiler for steaming the ingredients for miso, a miso crusher, and a miso fermentation vat. There are also a number of agricultural tools. In addition to farming, the family raised silkworms for additional income.