Matsusaka Merchant Town
松阪
The Ise merchant town that gave its name to Matsusaka beef.
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Our guide
Matsusaka, on Ise Bay in central Mie, is known today for Matsusaka beef: Japanese Black cattle bought as calves from around Japan and fattened in and around the city, counted among Japan's three great wagyu and prized for their marbling.
The town's older story is a merchant one. For about 250 years of the Edo period it belonged to the Kishū Tokugawa domain and prospered around the old castle town on the Ise pilgrimage road, serving travellers bound for Ise Jingū. It produced many merchants who traded in Edo, Osaka and Kyoto, among them the Mitsui family, whose business later became the Mitsui zaibatsu. The scholar Motoori Norinaga, who completed his commentary on the Kojiki in 1798, came from Matsusaka, and the Gojōban Nagaya row houses were built in 1863 for the Kishū samurai who guarded Matsusaka Castle.
Matsusaka Castle is about 300 m away in a straight line, and Matsusaka Station on the Meishō Line about 750 m.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- The House of Matsusaka Merchant 1 — もんじゃ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- The House of Matsusaka Merchant 2 — もんじゃ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- The House of Matsusaka Merchant 3 — もんじゃ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Former Hasegawa Jirobei House ac (1) — Asturio Cantabrio · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Former Hasegawa Jirobei House ac (2) — Asturio Cantabrio · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- The origin of the Mitsuis — もんじゃ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Matsusaka, on Ise Bay in central Mie Prefecture, is known today for Matsusaka beef: Japanese Black cattle bought as calves from around Japan and fattened in and around the city, counted among Japan's three great wagyu and prized for their marbling. For about 250 years of the Edo period Matsusaka belonged to the Kishū Tokugawa domain and prospered as a merchant town around the old castle town on the Ise pilgrimage road, serving travellers bound for Ise Jingū. It produced many Matsusaka (Ise) merchants active in Edo, Osaka and Kyoto, among them the Mitsui family, whose business later became the Mitsui zaibatsu. The scholar Motoori Norinaga, who completed his commentary on the Kojiki in 1798, was from Matsusaka, and the Gojōban Nagaya row houses were built in 1863 for the Kishū samurai who guarded Matsusaka Castle.
Background text translated from Japanese Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Food
Nearby station
Nearby station: Matsusaka (Meishō Line), about 750 m from the spot in a straight line.
Worked out on 2026-09-14 from this place’s map position, using HeartRails Express station data and station names from Wikidata. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route, and says nothing about buses, transfers or timetables — plan the trip on Google Maps.
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