This is the house of the Suwa family, which in early modern times was the the ojoya (“village headman”). A water network has extended from here toward Lake Biwa since ancient times, and with canals and docks still remaining in the grounds of the house, its visage from the golden age of the waterways remains intact. There is also a water facility nearby after which the region is also named, Kabata, indicating again how closely the people lived with the water.