日本海を行く北前船などの回船や川舟が集まって来る、みなとまち新潟。
江戸時代後期から小澤家は、この町で米を扱い、回船を運航し、みなとに関わる会社を興して、経営を拡大してきました。
新潟の町家の特徴を備え、商いの舞台であった屋敷は明治時代に建築、増築され、日本三景の松島に見立てたといわれる庭園も造られました。
みなとまち新潟を支えた商家のたたずまいを色濃く残しています。

The port town of Niigata was home to a host of river boats and ocean boats, such as the Kitamae-bune Ship that sailed the Sea of Japan.
In the latter half of Japan’s early modern period, the Ozawa Family expanded their business, getting involved in the town’s rice business, operating ships, and establishing a company in the port area.
The residence, built in or around the 1870s and later expanded, had all the features of a typical Niigata merchant’s house and served to conduct business. A garden resembling Matsushima, one of the three most famous scenic places in Japan, was also built.
All the distinctive features of the merchant’s house that supported the activities of Niigata’s port town have been preserved.