The raw silk merchants of Yarimizu, through which the Silk Road passes, made their fortune through the raw silk trade.
One of them, Yagishita Yoemon, built a mansion with a magnificent stone wall and was called “Ishigaki Daigin”.
The Shoin, also known as the “Ijinkan,” was built on the site and was a place to entertain foreigners visiting Hachioji. Today, The Silk Road Museum is built on the site of the mansion
and exhibits materials related to the silk road, sericulture and silk production.