Osaka Museum of Housing and Living 9th floor
Exhibition Hall 1: Osaka in the Early Modern Period
Time travel back to Edo Period

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7. Machi-kaisho Neighborhood Meeting Hall

Machi-kaisho is a neighborhood meeting hall, where neighborhood officials conducted official business and neighborhood townspeople held meetings.

Since machi-kaisho is a public building that was visited by people like government officials from bugyō-sho magistrate’s office, proper architectural design formality was followed, for example,
by installing shikidai step at the entrance in between the earthen floor area and the no-shoe floor area, and fancy mairado doors.

Meeting was held on the second day of each month, to convey town orders from bugyō-sho magistrate’s office, check on the residential registration of the neighborhood,
and discuss and decide on various neighborhood issues. A meal followed each meeting.

A hinomi-yagura wooden fire watchtower was built on top of the roof. On the ladder, there is a warning sign saying, “Non-community officials are not allowed to climb up.”