Sumiya was the typical traditional restaurant (known as Ageya) of Shimabara, the former entertainment district during the Edo period (1603-1867) and was eventually closed in 1985.
There were both Ageya restaurants and geisha dwellings (known as Okiya) in Shimabara. The Geisha and Tayu (premiere geisha) usually lived and were emploved at Okiya and they were summoned to Ageya for their performance at banquets and dinner parties.
The Sumiya building was designated as Important Cultural Property in 1952 as the only remaining example of Ageya architecture. This building contains numerous works by leading painters of that era, including Maruyama Okyo and Yosa Buson. Buson's celebrated Plum Blossums has been designated an Important Cultural Property.
Today, this building is open to the public as Sumiya.