Chōsōtei of the Ōta Residence
Chōsōtei of the Ōta Residence: Townhouse facing the port

The Chōsōtei Residence is located just across the street from the main part of the Ōta Residence. This townhouse was used by lords and other high-ranking officials during their stay in Tomonoura. This majestic building, standing on a stone wall by the sea, shows how powerful the Ōta family was.

In 1863, seven nobles who supported the emperor and wanted to expel those that they considered to be “barbarians” were banished from Kyoto, and went to the Chōshū domain in western Japan. This event was known as the “Shichikyō-ochi.” The next year in 1864, several of these nobles headed back to Kyoto, and while in Tomonoura their accommodations were the former Hōmeishu-ya, which is the present-day Ōta Residence. In 1940, the grounds of the Chōsōtei Residence were designated as a historic site of Hiroshima Prefecture as the location of the “Tomo Shichikyō-ochi.”