Former Ozu Residence

The city of Matsusaka is best known for its beef, the most expensive kind of wagyu. Historically, it was also a major emporium, where many of feudal Japan’s prominent merchants hail.

The merchant princes of Matsusaka include Mitsui Takatoshi, the founder of one of Japan’s top conglomerates, and Ozu Seizaemon, whose descendants continue to run a major paper business called Ozu Washi in Tokyo. Also related to him was famed filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu, who spent his teenage years in Matsusaka.

The Ozu family flourished in Matsusaka, Ise, and Edo (Tokyo), considered the best paper manufacturer in Japan. Their mansion complex consisted of several residential buildings and nine warehouses, constructed and extended over many years between the late 17th and mid-19th centuries. Though only three-fifths of it survives, it is still a large complex.

The mansion stands along the Ise-kaidō road, which was often clogged with a crowd of pilgrims on their way to the Grand Shrine. As there were few inns in Matsusaka, many of them would have to resort to spending the night outside, huddling together under the nearby bridge. The Ozu family took it upon themselves to accommodate them as they could, serving the hungry pilgrims rice balls and such gratis.

Today, the Former Ozu Residence’s exhibit is more than just historical architecture and ambience. On display here is a bronze manryo-bako, a huge chest used to store a large amount of gold. It’s the only one of its kind known in Japan, and its presence is a testament to the family’s prosperity.