The Hisatomi Residence was originally built to be the “Hisatomi shop” the founder who was a footwear Tonya^※1.
The main building （east wing） and storehouse （west wing） face the old Nagasaki Sugar Road. The front face of the main building is about nine meters wide, and the western storehouse is made of earthenware. This large townhouse of the Taisho period makes quite an impression.
The open air passage between the two buildings opens to the river on the south side, and recreates the feeling of old Yanagi-machi.

A workshop was built behind the building where wooden sandals （geta） were made, which expanded business across the prefecture. The storehouse and second floor were used as storage.
The founder’s successor, Kichiji, built another geta workshop in Hita city of neighboring Oita prefecture, expanded sales as far as the Korean Peninsula, and was among the top footwear wholesalers of the area. It is said that the business continued until about the year 1980.

The inside of the east wing is much as it was long ago, with dirt floors, hari^※2 beams, and even the old wood-carved sign reading “Footwear Wholesaler” left in place.
The building was certified as a Saga Prefectural Heritage site in 2008, and then became a part of the Saga City Cultural Museum in April of 2016.

In 2015 there were renovations on the interior, while the exterior was preserved.
Today there is a cafe and photo studio on the first floor, and the second floor space is divided into workshop and studio spaces occupied by several different tenants.