Boarded outside, open framed inside
The Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya (神谷家住宅横屋, Kamiya-ke Jūtaku Yokoya) is an early Meiji single-storey timber wing in Izumicho, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture, registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008. It measures 11 metres by 3.7 metres, 41 square metres in floor area, with an attached fence, and stands halfway along the eastern boundary of the compound.
The roof is gabled and tiled. The interest lies in the walls. Towards the street the wall is closed with boarding held by vertical battens; towards the courtyard the posts are left exposed and a narrow open veranda runs along the face. One building, two entirely different aspects depending on which way it faces.
The Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya carries registration number 23-0297. Along the eastern boundary, from south to north, stand the main gate, the grain storehouse, this wing, and the kettle house.
Composing the eastern side
The registration criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of Japan. The Agency for Cultural Affairs commentary notes that this building shares a unified appearance with its neighbours, including the grain storehouse, and helps to shape the eastern face of the estate.
That unity is achieved by specific means. The street walls are all boarded in the same manner and the roofs are all pantiled. Common material and common finish let buildings of different function read as one continuous plane of wall. Only the two-storey grain store rises; the rest run low.
The main house at the centre of the compound is thought to be mid-Edo in date and holds a separate status as a City of Anjo Designated Cultural Property from 1986. National registration and municipal designation sit side by side on the same ground.
What to look for
The contrast between the two faces is the thing to carry away. Closed with boards on the outside, opened with exposed posts and a veranda on the inside. Defence and habitability, front and back of the same structure.
The veranda here is of the type set outside the line of the eaves, so rain reaches it. It is a place to sit facing the garden, and it shows that the inward face of the Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya belonged to the living part of the household.
The long thin plan, 11 metres by 3.7, follows from the requirement to build along the eastern boundary. North of the Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya the kettle house continues the line and is narrower still.
Visiting and access
The interior is part of a private home and is closed to visitors. Because the building faces the road on the eastern boundary, however, its boarded wall and roof can be seen from the public street. The open framed courtyard face cannot. Photograph from the road, not into the grounds. The City of Anjo asks visitors to bear in mind that most local historic buildings are privately owned.
Take the JR Tokaido Line to Anjo or Mikawa-Anjo Station, then the city Ankuru bus on the Nanbu line to Kaminokiri or Izumi Jozanen. Services are limited, so check the timetable in advance. Seven minutes on foot to the south is Jozanen, a garden and study hall built by the city on the birthplace of the early Edo poet Ishikawa Jozan. Open 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30, closed Mondays with the following day substituted for a national holiday, and over the new year.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aichi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya
- [ Nagoya Castle & Atsuta Shrine History Tours ]
Q&A
- Can the Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya be seen?
- The interior is private, but the building faces the road on the eastern boundary, so its boarded street wall is visible from the public street.
- How large is it?
- 11 metres by 3.7 metres, 41 square metres of floor area, single-storey timber with an attached fence and a gabled tiled roof.
- Why are the two walls treated differently?
- The street side is closed with boarding to form the boundary of the estate, while the courtyard side exposes its posts and carries a veranda so the building can open towards the garden.
- What does yokoya mean?
- It refers to a long subsidiary wing built alongside the main house. Here it runs along the eastern boundary and helps form the eastern face of the estate.
- When was it registered?
- On 18 April 2008, under number 23-0297, together with thirteen other buildings on the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya (神谷家住宅横屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 13 Kaminokiri, Izumicho, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2008 (Heisei 20), registered |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Frontage 11 m, depth 3.7 m, floor area 41 square metres, with attached fence |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; street elevation visible from the public road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007046
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kamiya Family Residence Yokoya
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/142808
- City of Anjo: Historic Buildings
- https://www.city.anjo.aichi.jp/shisei/shisetsu/kyoikushisetsu/maibun-structure.html
- Anjo City Cultural Properties Catalogue: Kamiya Family Residence Main House
- https://www.katch.ne.jp/~anjomuse/bunkazai_zuroku/kamiyake_jyuutaku/index.html
- City of Anjo: Jozanen Garden
- https://www.city.anjo.aichi.jp/shisei/shisetsu/kyoikushisetsu/jozanen.html
Last verified: 2026.08.30