Motohori Kominka
Yakage Town, Oda County, Okayama Prf.
The age of this Kominka is unknown, but its style and other features suggest that it may have been built dating back to Edo period, more than 200 years ago. This is reinforced by the fact that it was built and maintained by the Shoya's (village head) family, an influential local family for many generations. The location of Motohori village, with its excellent safety from flooding and mudslides, is an advantage of the village and the kominka, which were built with the experience and long history of successive generations of residents in mind, and of the Shoya's house, which occupies a prime position in the village. Also, another outstanding advantage is that many fine old buildings besides the Shoya 's house remain in the village.