Townscape of Earthen Storehouses along Yamachō-suji

　In 1609, Maeda Toshinaga, the second lord of the Kaga Domain, built Takaoka Castle, and the town of Takaoka began to flourish. At that time, he gathered skilled foundrymen to establish a craftsmen’s quarter, and to develop the town as a centre for logistics and commerce, he invited merchants to settle there, thereby creating a merchants’ quarter.

　This merchants’ quarter is the present-day Yamachō-suji, which is said to have thrived as a commercial hub from the Edo period through to the Meiji period. However, a major fire in June 1900 destroyed 60 per cent of the town of Takaoka.

　The earthen storehouse-style streetscape seen today along Yamachō-suji was built after this fire; the earthen storehouse style was adopted as a fire-resistant construction method.

　The photograph shows the Sugano Family Residence. Whilst it features a black-tiled roof, black plastered exterior walls and earthen doors with high fire-resistance fitted to the second-floor windows, it is also interspersed with Western elements such as a brick fire wall separating it from the neighbouring house, offering a glimpse into the evolution of architectural styles.