The 198th Special Mini Exhibition: Unraveling the Documents of the Hayaya Dembei Family

About this event

During the Edo period, the Hayaya Dembei family (Moro family) operated a tobacco and medicine shop in Otsu's Shimokogarasaki-cho while also serving in prominent civic roles such as machi-doshiyori (town elders), Kyomachigumi representatives, and nanakumi-sodai (head representatives of the seven town districts). More than 400 documents and records from the family have survived to this day. This valuable collection of materials, detailing the family lineage, business fortunes, and relations with Buddhist temples dating back to the Keicho era, sheds light on the history of the Hayaya Dembei family and the town of Otsu in that era. The exhibition showcases their daily life, business activities, and connections with the local community through these preserved documents and records, offering a rare and valuable opportunity to feel the breath of the people who lived in those times.

Venue

Otsu City Museum of History

2-2 Goryocho, Otsu, Shiga 520-0037