Takayama Jin'ya

Following the Battle of Sekigahara and the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, Hida Province was awarded by Tokugawa Ieyasu to Kanamori Nagachika, who became daimyō of the 38,000 koku Hida-Takayama Domain, and who built Takayama Castle. The Kanamori clan was transferred to Kaminoyama Domain in Dewa Province in 1692. As Hida was rich in resources (gold, silver and copper, as well as its famed timber), the entire province was thereafter retained as tenryō territory directly under shogunal control. Takayama Castle was destroyed; however, the shimoyashiki at the base of the castle was modified to serve as the daikansho, or combined residence/office of the shōgun's appointed administrator for the province. In 1777, after the tenure of the 11th Hida daikan, post was elevated to that of a gundai, and was made responsible for also managing the shogunate's direct territory in the provinces of Mino, Echizen and Etchū. A total of 25 men held this post over its 177 year period.

After the Meiji Reformation, the building was used as the Takayama branch office of "Chikuma Prefecture" (later Gifu Prefecture). In 1929, even after its designation as an historical landmark it continued being used as public or prefectural offices by a number of public entities until 1969.

Gate of Takayama Jin'ya (left side)

The main building of the jin'ya was reconstructed in 1816 and remains intact today. The earthen storehouses, which were originally constructed at Takayama Castle, were relocated to their present place in 1695. The roofs of the buildings are covered in several different styles (e.g. noshi-buki, kokera-buki, and ishiokinagakure-buki), but all of these methods utilize wooden shingles. It is thought that this is due to the fact that the Hida region receives a lot of snow and was a production center for timber, and compared to clay tiles at the time, which were easily worn down by snow, wooden materials were more readily available.

In 1996, the building was completely restored based on a drawing from 1830 at a cost of two billion Yen. As the only remaining building of its kind, Takayama Jin'ya is a tourist attraction and contains information about the history of the building displayed inside. There is a farmer's market held every morning in front of Takayama Jin'ya.

• List of Historic Sites of Japan (Gifu)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Takayama Jinya.

• Takayama City official site (in Japanese)
• Official Site of Gifu Prefecture
• Japan Guide