Since the Meiji period, two-storey merchant houses with the ceiling height similar to that of modern houses began to be built along main streets, and three-storey merchant houses and kanban kenchiku (typically, a two-story frame building serving dual purposes as a merchant residence and shop) also appeared.
明治以降は、現在の家屋ほどの天井高の2階をもつ住宅が表通りでも建てられるようになり、三階建の町屋や看板建築も現れた。