The Shoya House was the home of village heads in Marugame, Japan, for nearly 300 years and stood at the center of village life during the Edo period (1603-1867). Local farmers came there to pay taxes, attend festivals and religious ceremonies, and conduct business with the shoya, who ran all aspects of local government from the house. Solid walls and a gatehouse enclosed the property, with most residents living outside the gate and passing through it for gatherings or business; the gatekeeper lived in one room of the structure, while servants and horses occupied other spaces. The wooden gates were locked at night for privacy and could help protect residents during attack, while other design features guarded the earthen walls from wind, water, and fire. Officials used the main path for formal visits, while farmers, merchants, and craftspeople used a side path to enter. People of all social classes crossed paths there within Japan's hierarchical Edo-period society. The Yokoi family lived in the house for generations, and their crest appeared in a roof tile above the entrance. As shoya, they held higher status than other farmers and could carry swords and use a family name and crest when many could not. The family traced its roots to Yokoi Motomasa (d. 1585), who fought under Toyotomi Hideyoshi (d. 1598) to unify Japan. After Toyotomi forces were defeated in 1600, the Yokoi family became shoya because of their education and family history. The front of the house served public business, official meetings, religious ceremonies, and celebrations, while the back housed the shoya and his family in flexible rooms divided or joined by sliding doors. Over generations, the family modernized the house with features such as glass storm doors and a brick stove more than 100 years ago. Today the house is again surrounded by agricultural fields and a garden, and The Huntington moved it from Marugame to San Marino over a seven-year period.
