Site of honjin tea house where Edo-period dignitaries stayed: Sharing stories of the largest relay town to flourish in the Hiroshima Domain

The road stretching east-west in front of JR Saijo Station, known today as the Saigoku Highway (formerly the Sanyo Highway), is where Yokkaichi flourished as a relay town durng the Edo period. At its center stood the honjin tea house. It was established by the Hiroshima Domain and served as an important facility where feudal lords and key shogunate officials would stay.

During the Meiji period, it was used as the Kamo District Office and local government offices. It later became the property of Kamotsuru Sake Brewery. Currently, only the exterior of the honjin building is accessible to visitors. The magnificent gate—a reconstruction of the original front gate—conveys the atmosphere of days gone by.