The old townhouses in Tondabayashi Jinaimachi have farmhouse-like floor plans and techniques. Among these houses, the former Sugiyama family residence is a large, high-quality merchant's residence that has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the nation.
The Sugiyama family is an old family that has been in Tondabayashi Jinaimachi since its establishment, and was involved in the management of the town as one of the Tondabayashi Eight Lords throughout the Edo period. In 1685 (Jokyo 2), they acquired a sake brewing stock and developed as a sake brewery until the mid-Meiji period. It is also the birthplace of Isonokami Tsuyuko, a poet of the Myojo school who was as active as Yosano Akiko during the Meiji period.