Story-4
Yamagata, Supporting Edo’s Food and Culture:
A Story of Trade Along the Mogami River and the Kitamae-Bune

Yamagata

① Marudai Ogiya (Nagai City)

A place to learn about the roles and contributions of merchants in local communities

The Marudai Ogiya Residence is the renovated former home of the Naganuma family, who were prosperous merchants who thrived through trade along the Kitamae-bune routes and the Mogami River shipping network. Tools and equipment related to the trade of goods such as tabi socks, cloth bolts, and ramie plants are displayed, along with detailed records of transactions carefully preserved in accounting books.

The family’s furnishings and household items have also been restored, offering a glimpse into the lifestyle, tastes, and cultural refinement of wealthy merchants.
This valuable historical and educational site conveys the network of goods and culture that extended from Edo to the provinces, as well as the influence merchant families had on their local communities.

② Beni no Kura (Yamagata City)

The past and present of benibana, which blossomed among kura storehouses

Beni no Kura (Beni Storehouse) stands along the main street of Tokamachi, in Yamagata. Once the storehouse residence of the benibana merchants of the Marutani Hasegawa family, it vividly conveys the culture surrounding the plant, and the local way of life that took root since the Edo period. Displays include dried benibana, dye extraction tools, and dyed fabric samples, allowing visitors to follow the process of creating color from flowers.

Tools related to benibana are also on display, as well as clothing, accessories, and dyed handcrafts, which all add rich color to the space, offering a rich impression of how this traditional material is now interwoven with modern sensibilities.

Visualizing the continuous cultural chain from the Edo period to present day, there is a clear depth of time and space expanded from a single material—the benibana plant.

③ Kahoku Town Safflower Museum (Kahoku Town)

Experience the full essence of benibana up close, right in its hometown

The Kahoku Benibana Museum provides insight into the traditional local industry of benibana cultivation, as well as the culture behind its processing, from multiple perspectives. At this valuable facility, visitors can fully experience the flow of goods and cultural exchange that centered around benibana since the Edo period, as well as the insights of everyday life in the region.

At the museum, detailed exhibits illustrate cultivation, harvesting methods, and the drying and pigment extraction processes. Many dyed fabrics, cosmetics, and handcrafts made with benibana are also on display, allowing visitors to learn about both its historical significance and its connection to modern life.

Dyeing experiences and workshops are also held regularly, offering visitors the chance to try their hand at dyeing with benibana themselves!

④ Mogami River Boat Ride (Tozawa Village)

A boat ride surrounded in natural scenery and vibrant history

The Mogami River boat ride runs through Tozawa Village in Yamagata, and as passengers glide along the water, they are offered a glimpse into what it may have been like during the days of river trade, witnessing firsthand the routes that once supported regional exchange.

During the Edo period, benibana was collected along the Mogami River, and was shipped from ports such as Sakata and Tsuruoka on Kitamae-bune vessels bound for Edo. Merchant houses and wholesalers once lined the riverside towns, and remnants such as old warehouse sites can still be seen during the ride—offering a tangible sense of how the movement of goods shaped local life and culture.

⑤ Homma Museum of Art (Sakata City)

Exchange between Sakata’s wealthy merchants and Edo— a multifaceted story of history and culture

The Honma Museum of Art allows visitors to experience the merchant culture and trading history of the prosperous Honma family, who flourished through the Kitamae-bune trade during the Edo period. Inside are collections of maki-e works, lacquered items, calligraphy, paintings, ceramics, folding screens, and furnishings from various eras, vividly conveying how the logistics network of the Kitamae-bune and the Mogami River trade shaped the region’s lifestyle and aesthetic sensibilities.

The displays offer an impressive sense of how the trade culture fostered by the Kitamae-bune and the Mogami River went far beyond the movement of goods, and how it influenced art and everyday life down to the smallest details.

Tokyo

⑥ BENI MUSEUM (Minato City)

he rarity of benibana, and its distribution from production to centers of demand during the Edo period

The Beni Museum offers a chance to experience the deep allure of beni, a traditional Japanese color cherished since ancient times. Exhibits include videos showing the entire process—from harvesting benibana to making beni-mochi, as well as extracting the rare red pigment found in the flower petals—providing a clear, visual understanding of how beni was produced.

During the Edo period, benibana was one of the most profitable cash crops, and was primarily traded in markets in Kyoto and Osaka, as well as Edo. Historical documents and letters reveal the economic networks that connected such distant regions.

The museum also explores the cosmetics culture that developed around benibana. Through exhibits of makeup tools, ukiyo-e prints, and other materials, visitors can gain a relatable, modern perspective on Japan’s multilayered cultural heritage spanning history, chemistry, and craftsmanship.