This is a Japanese-style wood frame two-story house built in 1937 as a residence by the textile manufacturer, Nakajiro Kaneko. Nakajiro Kaneko wove textiles such as Isesaki Meisen at his joint-stock company Kaneko Export Textile Factory and sold them to Tokyo Mitsukoshi Department Store. He also pioneered exporting to western European countries, South Africa, and other countries. True to his creed, "Don't leave riches, leave virtue," Kaneko donated his entire factory and residence to Sakaimachi in 1979. The former factory site became a library and his home became the "House of Silk," for use by people of the town.