THE PROPERTY

SASU ・ICHI is the former estate of the Okamura clan consisting of ten buildings (a 14-room manor house, a two-room cottage, a two-room teahouse, two fireproof storehouses, a pantry building, a silkworm loft, an Inari shrine and two sheds), as well as a dry landscape garden and an ornamental fishpond.  Documents found on the property date back 600 years but the wooden structures are newer, having been extensively rebuilt in the 1920s to 1950s.

THE RESTORATION

Restoration work began in December 2016 by the current owner with assistance from village residents and local craftsmen.  The owner is a 20+ year resident of the village and naturalized Japanese citizen who has undertaken the restoration to preserve local heritage without the benefit of public or investor funding. The site is not a museum, instead it aims to model a way of life which combines the best of old and new. The estate was opened to the public in 2019 and currently employs one full-time and three part-time staff. Revenues from the cottage and teahouse provide income for village residents, support local businesses, and contribute to the upkeep of the estate and garden.

THE LOGO

The old symbol of the estate consists of two crossed beams (SASU), indicating support, and a single line below (ICHI), representing the number one.  It was traditionally used as a label on household objects such as dishware, tea chests, paper umbrellas, etc.  This kind of symbol is called a yago and has been common for larger houses and businesses for hundreds of years.