The Itohara family were high-ranking samurai who were vassals of the Matsue Domain. They were among a groupf of such families who controlled the production of iron deep in the Chugoku Mountains in Okuizumo.
The Daimyo would stay in their residence while inspecting his territory, so the mansion and garden had to be of the highest standard. The formal garden attached to the residence is in Izumo style, and one of its features are the stone paths made with rounded and rectangular stones.
The house is still lived in by descendants of the family so is not open to the public, though the garden is.
There is also a less formal woodland garden planted with more than 300 species of flowers, grasses, and shrubs, that can be strolled around and a large museum devoted to iron production and tatara, the kind of forge used to smelt iron sand.
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