Baba Oshi Residence
The head of the Baba family has served for many generations since 1659 as a priest at Musashi Mitake Shrine and served in the hereditary role of oshi, part of which involves providing accommodation for important patrons of the shrine. The Baba residence is both a shukubo, or pilgrim lodging, and a family home. It is one of the oldest residences on Mt. Mitake and is largely unchanged since it was built in 1866.
The Baba residence has five tatami rooms. The rooms have decorative alcoves and shelves to display precious items, exposed wooden beams, and earthen walls in a style typical of samurai and aristocratic residences in the early Edo period (1603–1867). One of the rooms holds a shrine where purification rituals were conducted for pilgrims before they visited Musashi Mitake Shrine. The shrine is still used for such ceremonies. The rooms are separated by sliding doors under hand-carved wooden ranma (transom panels), which allow light and air to flow between the rooms. Under the house is a large cellar, which was used for cold storage before the introduction of refrigerators.
Known locally as “Higashibaba,” the house is now occupied by the fourteenth generation of the Baba family, who operate it as both a lodging and a teahouse. The residence is a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo.