UNAGI-NO-NEDOKO
Eel's Bed
A distinctive feature of the Kyo-machiya is its long and thin shaped interiors, known as an “eel’s bed” shape. One theory states that as taxes were determined by the width of the building’s entrance, the portion of the building that faced the street became narrower and the building length’s increased. Another theory states that land plots were divided up into smaller units to bring in as many merchants as possible to help make the city thrive.
