Minakuchi Castle was constructed in 1634 on the western border of the town by Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu as a way station where he could stay at during his travels between Edo and Kyoto.

Per the 1843 "東海道宿村大概帳" (Tōkaidō Shukuson Taigaichō) guidebook issued by the Inspector of Highways (道中奉行, Dōchu-būgyō), the town had a population of 2692 in 692 houses, including one honjin, one waki-honjin, and 41 hatago.

Minakuchi-zaiku (水口細工) was a form of basketry made from woven wisteria vines, and occasionally from thin strips of wood.

The production of kanpyō, dried shavings of a type of calabash, which was a popular ingredient in Edo period Japanese cuisine was the third local speciality.

In the foreground are two women (one with a baby on her back) hanging up strips of kanpyō to dry on lines, while a third woman with a knife is peeling more from a calabash.