Shōhō-en was built in 1917 as the residence of the Oyamada family, who lived in the province of Hitachi until the 16th century and moved to Akita with Yoshinobu Stake. They guarded the land here, serving as landlord-farmers during the Edo era (1603–1867). An anti-seismic structure was adopted for the building design after the great earthquake of 1914. Another feature of its architectural excellence is the flexibility of the partioning on the ground floor; the center pillar can be removed to form a spacious hall of 40 tatami (more than 60 square meters). It is also richly decorated outside and inside: the front entrance and gable pendants, which give it an august air (almost like a shrine or temple). The interior exhibits architectural finesse, such as the finely installed ranma (transom panels between the ceiling and sliding doors) and ornamental metal pieces, as well as the Western-styled staircase that reveals the aesthetics of the Taisho period (1912–1926) to favor the fusion of the East and West.
Daisen City
