As someone who moved from the Kanto region to Kurashiki in December 2023, I find Kurashiki’s scenery fresh and fascinating, with historic residences offering glimpses into how people lived in the past still standing throughout the city.
When it comes to traditional townhouses, Kurashiki’s Bikan Historical Area, also known as the “white-walled town,” is famous. But Kojima is also home to the magnificent Nozaki's Historical Residence, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.
Here, we introduce the history and highlights of this residence, which covers approximately 3,000 tsubo (about 9,900 square meters) and served as a filming location for the movie Don't Call It Mystery, starring actor Suda Masaki, in September 2023.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in July 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Nozaki's Historical Residence
Nozaki's Historical Residence is a traditional home built by Nozaki Buzaemon, who made his fortune in salt production and land reclamation. The residence, with a site area of 3,000 tsubo and a total floor area of approximately 1,000 tsubo, preserves its original appearance, including not only the main house but also the Japanese garden and storehouses.
It was registered as a museum in 1995 and designated a National Important Cultural Property in 2006. In 2011, it became the first museum in Okayama Prefecture to be certified as a public interest incorporated foundation. The facility continues to preserve the culture of the time as a museum, as well as preserving the buildings.
The Nozaki family
The Nozaki family, whose ancestors were the Seiwa Genji clan and who once used the surnames Tada and Koyano, are said to have settled in Ajino Village, Kojima District, in the latter half of the 16th century.
Nozaki Buzaemon, who built Nozaki's Historical Residence, manufactured and sold tabi socks. At the age of 38, he resolved to make a fresh start and built salt fields offshore from Ajino and Akasaki villages. He took the name Nozaki from the names of the two villages.
His salt fields covered approximately 161 hectares, and he grew into a major salt-field landowner. He also successfully reclaimed approximately 700 hectares for Fukuda Shinden at the order of the Okayama Domain.
In 1890, Buzaemon's grandson Bukichiro was elected to the House of Peers, and the family became one of Kurashiki's leading families.
Salt production continues to this day
“Salt from the Nozaki family” is still well known today. Products made using salt, including not only table salt but also chemical products (industrial products made at chemical plants using chemical reactions), continue to be produced.
The salt made by the Nozaki family is produced by Naikai Salt Industries Co., Ltd. Since its founding in 1829, the company has consistently continued salt production on the Kojima Peninsula, facing the Seto Inland Sea. Naikai Salt Industries, which has continued salt production in the same location, is the oldest salt company.
In fact, the registered head office of Naikai Salt Industries Co., Ltd. is located at what is now Nozaki's Historical Residence. The residence is operated using admission fees as well as donations from a group company of Naikai Salt Industries Co., Ltd.
A popular destination for experts! A fully equipped museum
Nozaki's Historical Residence, which in 2011 became the first museum in Okayama Prefecture to be certified as a public interest incorporated foundation, also functions as a museum.
Kojima suffered no damage from air raids during World War II, so many documents from before the war still exist. Some items were sent from the continent during Japan's period of isolation, and notes remain recording when, by whom, and for what purpose they were sent.
The artworks have been carefully preserved in excellent condition, and their provenance is known in some cases. As a result, researchers from universities and national museums frequently visit Nozaki's Historical Residence.
Alongside researching the collection, the museum also exhibits these items.
The exhibits are displayed in the storehouses from that time. Exhibitions that make use of buildings that have remained in Kojima are a sight unique to Nozaki's Historical Residence.
Special exhibitions are also held.
The Nozaki Family Hina Doll Exhibition dates back to the Meiji era, and it is said that as many as 1,500 people visited in a single day at the time.
As of July 2025, the following special exhibitions are scheduled.
- Nozaki Bukichiro: The Man Who Carried on the Salt Field King's Vision (July 3–September 28, 2025)
An exhibition of materials related to Bukichiro, commemorating the 100th anniversary of his death - Kojima Blue Art Festival (October 3–November 9, 2025)
Bizen-yaki artist Kimura Gyokushu and the Setouchi Branch of the Japan Ceramic Sculpture Association will exhibit works depicting sea creatures in Bizen ware - Calendar Exhibition: Metalwork of the Nozaki Family—Meiji-Era Masterpieces (November 13, 2025–January 25, 2026)
Featuring works by Shami Katsuyoshi, who perfected intricate techniques in Okayama - Nozaki Family Hina Doll Exhibition (January 28–April 5, 2026)
- Ohina Dosokai (tentative) (February 21–March 8, 2026)
Exhibitions are subject to change without notice.
Passing on traditional culture through the residence's architecture and collection
As its name suggests, Nozaki's Historical Residence is a house where people once lived. It was home to the everyday lives of the people who lived here.
Completed in 1896, the Nozaki family’s guesthouse, Taikado, was used to entertain guests, provide lodging, and hold gatherings.
Even today, traditional performing arts such as “Kojima Noh,” staged using Noh masks and other items preserved by the Nozaki family, and “Kojima Rakugo” are held annually. The residence also continues to serve as the venue for Ohina Dosokai.
This shows that the residence plays a role not only in exhibiting the collection preserved from that time, but also in passing it on as culture.
A showcase of craftsmanship! Highlights of Nozaki's Historical Residence
In the movie Don't Call It Mystery, the spacious main house, with its series of tatami-mat rooms, made a strong impression.
Built in the Edo period, this building is filled with craftsmanship everywhere, not just in its tatami mats. Curator Tsuji Noriyuki showed us around.
Giant trees that have watched over the Nozaki family since the old days
Nozaki's Historical Residence is an impressive complex of buildings designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The Japanese garden, with its yin-yang stones, is also a breathtaking sight.
The first giant tree you see when you step through the entrance is a fir. It is so enormous that you can’t help but gape and look up at it.
The nanami tree, which blooms with pale purple flowers for ten days in June, is also a sight to behold. The flowers scattered across the ground are very beautiful.
The pine tree stretching out over the street is also magnificent. Although pine trees are usually imagined growing straight upward, here you can see a pine tree growing horizontally, carefully pruned so that it does not extend over the street.
So far, we have introduced the giant trees in the garden. There are also giant trees inside the residence.
One is the 17-meter-long engata beam that supports the roof of the front study.
The red pine used for the engata beam was rare even at the time, and remains so today. Looking at it closely, you can’t help but wonder whether such a magnificent giant tree was needed to support such a spacious residence.
All of the giant trees are carefully maintained.
A roof filled with the care of skilled craftsmen
At Nozaki's Historical Residence, 12 buildings on the grounds are designated as National Important Cultural Properties. Each one is built differently, which is another highlight, and architecture enthusiasts visit from all over Japan.
In the Meiji period, when electricity was not as widespread as it is today, there was a need for ways to bring light into large buildings.
Glass skylights can be found throughout the residence.
“This design, which lets in plenty of natural light, is surely unique to Okayama, the Land of Sunshine,” Tsuji told us.
When strolling around, it’s easy to keep your eyes on the ground, but try looking up and taking note of the skylights, too.
The tea house in the Japanese garden is another highlight.
The pentagonal Rinchitei is well known, but be sure to look at the roof of Yosshitsutei, just in front of it.
The roof, made of many overlapping thin boards, uses a technique called kokera-buki.
This traditional Japanese technique has also been used at places such as Kinkakuji Temple and Ginkakuji Temple before they burned down, but the number of craftspeople able to reproduce it is dwindling year by year. At Nozaki's Historical Residence, thatch materials are sourced from Goshogawara in Aomori Prefecture, and repairs are carried out by hand.
Traditional Bingo nakatsugi omote tatami, now made by only two people in Japan
By the way, have you ever compared how different tatami feel underfoot?
My great-grandmother’s family home was a traditional house that had been in the family since the Edo period, and I practice tea ceremony, so I thought I was quite familiar with Japanese-style rooms. But I don’t think I had ever paid attention to how tatami feel underfoot.
In fact, the tatami laid at Nozaki's Historical Residence are called “Bingo nakatsugi omote tatami” and were once made in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
These high-grade tatami mats are made using carefully selected rushes with thick outer skins, uniform grains, a lustrous finish, and a beautiful silvery-white hue with a bluish tint. Only two people in Japan can make them today, and they have even been sent to the State Guest House at the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
Visitors usually only get to look at them from outside, but during our visit we were given a special chance to experience how they feel underfoot.
The rushes themselves are resilient, making these tatami gentler underfoot than modern ones. Each mat costs about 300,000 yen.
The tatami used at Nozaki's Historical Residence are carefully preserved, with the coverings replaced about once every 13 years.
The Middle Room, which offers a view through nine rooms of tatami space stretching 42 meters in total, must be all the more breathtaking thanks to these Bingo nakatsugi omote tatami.
Stylish water facilities that reflect the Nozaki family’s care for its servants
Salt production required a large workforce.
Many servants also lived at the Nozaki residence.
Because they handled salt, which is also a food product, care was taken to keep the servants’ living areas clean.
The most notable example is the toilet.
Having a toilet may seem commonplace today, but at the time, ceramic toilet bowls made for servants were probably rare.
There was also a Goemon-buro bath, suggesting that careful attention was paid to the water facilities.
The nearby kitchen is also very spacious and airy.
Cooking utensils are displayed with explanatory labels, so why not take a look while imagining what daily life was like back then?
Traces of communication with the port still remain
Salt production relied on both the port and the residence.
The signal flagpole, which was used before telephones and similar devices became widespread, still stands even though it has long since served its purpose.
The adjoining museum also has a replica of the Former Nozakihama Lighthouse at the port, offering a glimpse into how salt production was carried out there.
Seismic reinforcement work lasting 13–14 years to begin in fiscal 2026
To continue passing on the history preserved here to future generations, Nozaki's Historical Residence plans to begin seismic reinforcement work in fiscal 2026.
Because the vast grounds cover about 3,000 tsubo (about 10,000 square meters, or the area of one baseball field), the work is expected to be carried out in stages. The entire site will not be closed for an extended period, but renovation work is expected to be underway somewhere on the grounds over the next 13–14 years.
The end of fiscal 2025 is the last chance to visit all the spots introduced here.
We spoke with curator Tsuji Noriyuki about the many highlights of Nozaki's Historical Residence.
Nozaki's Historical Residence details
| Name | Nozaki's Historical Residence |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-11-19 Ajino, Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-472-2001 |
| Parking | Available [ Free ] 5 large buses / 36 passenger cars |
| Opening hours | 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (gates close at 5:00 p.m.) |
| Closed | Mondays If Monday is a public holiday, the following weekday Closed for the year-end and New Year holidays (12/25–1/1) |
| Admission (tax included) | Adults (high school students and older): 500 yen Elementary and junior high school students: 300 yen Preschool children: Free ※Groups of 30 or more receive a 20% discount. ※Elementary, junior high, and high school students are admitted free on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. ※Visitors with a disability certificate receive a 20% discount (for the certificate holder and one accompanying person). ※Discounts cannot be combined. ※Elementary, junior high, and high school students and accompanying teachers visiting as part of a class activity are admitted free. |
| Payment methods |
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| Smoking | Entirely smoke-free (outdoor smoking area available) |
| Restrooms | Western-style and Japanese-style toilets |
| Website | Nozaki's Historical Residence Nozaki's Historical Residence |
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