Former Nishikawa Riemon House

This Edo-period merchant house on Shinmachi Street in Omihachiman was built in 1706 by the third head of the Nishikawa Riemon family, who made their fortune selling mosquito nets and woven rush matting to Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka. The house passed through eleven generations until the main family line ended in 1930. The surviving branch then donated it to the city, and a full restoration from 1985 to 1988 returned it to its original appearance as a typical Omi merchant residence. Designated an Important Cultural Property in 1983, the house is now open as a museum and represents the prosperous merchant culture that defined the Lake Biwa trading region during the Edo period.