What the Horibe Family Residence Corridor Is
The Horibe Family Residence Corridor (堀部家住宅渡り廊, Horibe-ke Jūtaku Watarirō) is a single-story covered passage built around 1893 in the castle town of Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 27, 2006. It stands at 272 Minami-koken, Inuyama, on the plot of the former Horibe residence, a short walk south of the outer moat of Inuyama Castle where the old Nagoya highway left the town through a square gate enclosure.
The Horibe family served the Naruse lords of Inuyama Castle as retainers. In the early Meiji years, after the domain system ended, Horibe Katsushirō bought this land and turned to silk farming. The main house went up in 1883, and the corridor followed about a decade later as the household filled in the western edge of its roughly 1,338-square-meter plot.
The corridor begins at the Mizuya (kitchen annex) on the west end of the main house's south face and runs straight south along the boundary of the site until it reaches the front of the storehouse. In plan it measures nine Ken long, roughly 16 meters, by seven shaku deep, a little over two meters. The floor area is 47 square meters. Six buildings on the plot were registered together in 2006: the main house, the high wall, the detached parlor, this corridor, the storehouse, and the workshop.
Why the Horibe Family Residence Corridor Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Horibe Family Residence Corridor under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. On its own the building is modest. Its value lies in what it does for the whole compound: it links the living quarters to the storehouse under one roof, and at the same time it serves as the western wall of the property.
That double duty shows in the construction. The wall facing outward, toward the neighboring plot, is finished with vertical boards held by battens at the base and corrugated iron sheeting above. The side facing the garden is open below a low earthen-floored eave, so the household could walk the length of the plot without stepping into the rain. A single-pitch roof of Sangawara-buki tiles slopes toward the outside.
Inside, the corridor is more than a hallway. Storage rooms, a toilet, and a bath were tucked along its length. Placing these wet and utilitarian functions in a long, thin service wing kept them out of the main house, a planning habit inherited from samurai residences of the Edo period. Together with the main house and the detached parlor, the Horibe Family Residence Corridor is one of the few structures in Inuyama that still show the layout of a warrior household.
What to Look For at the Horibe Family Residence Corridor
Start in the courtyard. From here you can see how the corridor and the storehouse close off the west and south of the garden, while the main house closes the north. The eave of the Horibe Family Residence Corridor sits low, and the earthen path beneath it runs the full length of the garden side.
Then walk the corridor itself. The garden side is now glazed, so light falls across the boards and the space doubles as a small gallery for the exhibitions the operator mounts through the year. Look up at the ceiling and you will see the rafters of the single-pitch roof running in one direction only, a simple frame that contrasts with the more elaborate hipped roofs elsewhere on the site.
At the south end the corridor meets the storehouse. The two buildings were designed to work as a pair: one for movement, one for keeping goods dry. On the far side of the storehouse stands the workshop where the family raised silkworms. Each of these neighbors has its own page on this site.
Visiting the Horibe Family Residence Corridor
The Horibe Family Residence Corridor is open to the public free of charge as part of the Former Horibe Residence, which the city of Inuyama has run as a cultural facility since fiscal 2012. Since fiscal 2015 the day-to-day operation has been handled by a nonprofit, the Kodai Niwa no Sato Cultural Heritage Network, under the name Kinoshita Castle Heritage Hall and Horibe Residence.
Opening hours are noon to 6:00 p.m. The residence is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (if a public holiday falls on one of those days, the following day is closed instead) and over the New Year period, December 28 to January 4. Morning visits are possible by advance reservation only; call 0568-90-3744. The buildings and garden can be viewed freely during opening hours, and no admission fee is charged. Neither the city nor the operator publishes a photography rule, so ask staff before photographing inside.
The residence is about a 10-minute walk from either Inuyama Station or Inuyama-guchi Station on the Meitetsu line. Inuyama Station is about 25 minutes by Meitetsu express service from Meitetsu Nagoya Station and about 30 minutes from Meitetsu Gifu Station. The entrance is on a narrow lane off the main road and is easy to miss, so follow the signs for the Former Horibe Residence. There is no parking on site; drivers are directed to the castle parking area. Community bus riders can use the Ekimae-dōri stop, about three minutes on foot.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Horibe Family Residence Corridor, and what does it cost?
- Yes. The Horibe Family Residence Corridor is part of the Former Horibe Residence, which is open free of charge, noon to 6:00 p.m., except Mondays, Tuesdays, and December 28 to January 4. Morning visits need a reservation.
- How old is the Horibe Family Residence Corridor?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to around 1893, about ten years after the main house of 1883. It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.
- What was the Horibe Family Residence Corridor used for?
- It was a covered walkway between the main house and the storehouse that also held storage rooms, a toilet, and a bath, and its outer wall doubled as the western fence of the property.
- How do I get to the Horibe Family Residence Corridor by train?
- Take the Meitetsu line to Inuyama Station or Inuyama-guchi Station. The Former Horibe Residence is about a 10-minute walk from either station. There is no parking at the site.
- What kind of cultural property is the Horibe Family Residence Corridor?
- It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, a category created in 1996 for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape. It was registered in 2006 together with five other buildings of the Horibe residence.
Basic Information
| Name | Horibe Family Residence Corridor (堀部家住宅渡り廊) |
|---|---|
| Location | 272 Minami-koken, Inuyama, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 27, 2006 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden single-story, tiled roof, building area 47 square meters; 9 ken long by 7 shaku deep |
| Owner | Inuyama City |
| Public Access | Open free of charge, noon to 6:00 p.m.; closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and December 28 to January 4 |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Horibe Family Residence Corridor
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005469
- Inuyama City: Facility Guide, Former Horibe Residence
- https://www.city.inuyama.aichi.jp/shisetsu/koukyoshisetsu/1001550/1006914.html
- Inuyama City: About the Former Horibe Residence
- https://www.city.inuyama.aichi.jp/kurashi/bunka/1001052/1003549/1001062.html
- Kinoshita Castle Heritage Hall and Horibe Residence (operator's official site)
- https://horibetei.com/sample-page/
- Aichi Now (Aichi Prefecture official tourism site): Former Horibe Residence
- https://aichinow.pref.aichi.jp/spots/detail/3890/
Last verified: 2026.09.02