At a corner of the peaceful residential street facing the flowing Sawahata River on the northern side of Shiroishi Castle, you will find the former house of the Koseki family, who once served as the stewards of the Katakura household. The house was built in 1730. The roof of the main building has a hipped thatched roof, while the house itself has a simple layout, comprising a Japanese style living room, storage room and tatami room. Why not enhance your trip and make it more interesting by visiting both Shiroishi Castle, where the feudal lord once live, and also this samurai residence, which was home to the lord’s retainers?

Until the 1990s the house was actually lived in by direct descendants of the samurai family and today it is a designated cultural treasure of Miyagi Prefecture. A charming waterway winds around the house and it has also served as the stage for a Japan Railways commercial. If you take your shoes off you can enter the house and look round the old living room, hearth, and tearoom.

The flavour of the old castle town remains strong in this district and it is worth taking a walk around. Why not spend a relaxing day exploring old Shiroishi?