Murata: A Town of Warehouse-lined Streets

A town that retains the atmosphere of the Edo and Meiji Periods

Murata flourished as a merchant town on an old highway connecting Sendai and Yamagata from the late-Edo period to the early-Meiji period.

The warehouses show how the prosperity of the time still remain in the center of the town. A pair of massive warehouses and a gate form an impressive, continuous landscape. 

In September 2014, the streetscape of these warehouses was designated as Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings. 

At the Murata Shonin Yamasho Memorial House, you can still see these luxurious warehouses, mansions, and other buildings of high historical and cultural value that were owned by Yamasho, one of the town's wealthiest merchants who engaged in safflower trade.

General Information

Address
宮城県柴田郡村田町大字村田字町191(蔵の観光案内所)
Opening Times
9:00-17:00 (Kura Tourist Information Center)
Closures
Open all year round (except for year-end and New Year holidays)
Directions
From JR Ogawara Station, take the local bus bound for Murata/Kawasaki and get off at Chuo bus stop. Walk for 1 minute
Car Park
15 spaces (standard-sized cars)

Contact

Contact
Kura Tourist Information Center
Telephone Number
0224-83-6211