Former Nagai Family Residence

Located within a townscape featuring two-story udatsu gables, this thatched-roof former village headman’s residence was built in Kansei 3 (1791). Enclosed by a stone wall, the approximately 1,818㎡ site features a main house, storehouses, a “nedoko” building (formerly used for curing indigo), a well, and the Tsuru-Kame-Hōrai Garden (designed for seated viewing), all of which vividly preserve the atmosphere of that era. Inside the nedoko, visitors can view up close items used by the Nagai family, such as rickshaws, a koto, and bronze mirrors. Also worth seeing is the approximately 400-year-old Gosho persimmon tree, said to have been planted by the women of the household to harvest the astringent juice from its fruit for use in blackening their teeth. It is designated as a municipal cultural property. The site is easily accessible—about a 10-minute walk from Sadamitsu Station on the JR Tokushima Line—and admission is free, adding to its appeal.