A Kobe foreigners' house on an Aichi hillside
Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House is a two-storey wooden dwelling of the middle Meiji period standing in the Museum Meiji-Mura in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003. It came from Yamamoto-dori on the Yamate slopes of Kobe, one of the ijinkan (異人館) or foreigners' houses that gave that district its character.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the building to the third decade of the Meiji era, between 1887 and 1896; the museum gives about 1887. It was built for foreign residents. In 1896 it passed to a Japanese owner, Masuda Shusuke, then returned to foreign hands and was occupied by a French trading merchant.
The house was taken down in 1966 and re-erected in 1969 at plot 32 on Block 3 of the museum grounds. It has stood on this Aichi hillside for more than half a century now.
The structure is timber-framed on two floors, roofed with pantiles over a hipped Yosemune-zukuri form, and has a floor area of 73 square meters. On the same plot stands a separately registered annex of 36 square meters, joined to the main house by a covered passage at first-floor level. This article deals with the main house.
Veranda colonial, adapted to a Kobe plot
Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House was registered under the criterion covering buildings that set a standard of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a good example of the veranda colonial house.
Veranda colonial is the form Western domestic architecture took when it was adapted to the climates of India and Southeast Asia, wrapping the exterior in deep covered walkways. It reached Japan through the housing of foreign residents in the treaty ports. Here the roof tiles are Japanese and the frame was raised by Japanese carpenters, while the plan and the elevations are Western. The two systems sit side by side in a single building without either being disguised.
Verandas run along the front and return down one side, on both floors. Inside, each floor is arranged around a central corridor containing the staircase, with one room on either side. There are not many rooms. As Kobe foreigners' houses go, this is one of the smaller ones.
The trick is in the spacing of the posts
The square posts carrying the verandas are cut with a vertical groove down each face. What repays attention is how they are placed. The spacing is deliberately uneven: two posts set close together here, three there, and the gaps between the groups varied as well. This clustered arrangement gives the colonnade a rhythm and makes the frontage read as longer than it is. A cramped plot has been turned into an argument for a particular kind of facade.
The unusual number of doorways from the veranda into the rooms follows the same reasoning. Rooms that are not large were meant to be used together with the covered walk outside. The doorways are double-leaf, with a comb-shaped Ranma transom above and louvred shutters outside. Close those shutters halfway on a bright afternoon and the light comes through the slats in bands across the floor.
The annex reached by the covered passage holds an upstairs Japanese room with a Tokonoma alcove and a low writing bay. Its transom lattice is a fine diamond pattern, and there is a round window, both touches drawn from Sukiya-zukuri teahouse design. The upper floor of the annex can be reached only from the main house, which is understood to have kept it apart from the circulation of the servants housed on the floor below.
When looking at Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House from outside, walk round to the side rather than staying in front. At the corner where the veranda turns, the shifting intervals between the posts show most clearly.
Visiting
Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House stands at plot 32 on Block 3 of the Museum Meiji-Mura. Note before you plan a visit that the interior is normally closed. The exterior can be seen at any time during opening hours, but the inside is shown only during the scheduled volunteer-led Kobe guide sessions. No reservation is needed, the sessions run at set times, and they are suspended in certain periods, so check the official site for the current schedule.
There is no separate charge for the building; museum admission covers it. Admission is 2,500 yen for adults, 1,500 yen for high school students and 700 yen for junior high and elementary school pupils, with preschool children admitted free.
Opening hours change with the season. March, April through July, September and October run from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. August runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. November runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. December through February run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing, and closed days fall in blocks of several weekdays each month.
Photography is allowed. Tripods may not be used inside the buildings, and photography that involves entering the wooded areas is prohibited. Do not aim a flash at vehicle drivers in the grounds.
Take the Gifu Bus Meiji-Mura line from the east exit of Meitetsu Inuyama Station, about 20 minutes. By car the museum is about 3 kilometers from the Komaki-higashi interchange on the Chuo Expressway, with parking at 1,000 yen for an ordinary vehicle.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aichi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House
- [ Nagoya Castle & Atsuta Shrine History Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I go inside Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House?
- The interior is normally closed. It is shown only during the volunteer-led Kobe guide sessions, which run at set times without reservation and are suspended in certain periods. Check the official site before visiting. The exterior can be viewed at any time during opening hours.
- Where is Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House and how do I get there?
- It stands at plot 32 on Block 3 of the Museum Meiji-Mura, at 1 Uchiyama, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. Take the Gifu Bus Meiji-Mura line from the east exit of Meitetsu Inuyama Station, about 20 minutes. By car it is about 3 kilometers from the Komaki-higashi interchange on the Chuo Expressway, with parking at 1,000 yen.
- Where did Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House originally stand?
- On Yamamoto-dori in the Yamate district of Kobe, in what was then Ikuta Ward. It was dismantled in 1966 and re-erected at the museum in 1969. Built for foreign residents, it passed to the Japanese owner Masuda Shusuke in 1896 and was later occupied by a French trading merchant.
- What should I look for at Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House?
- The verandas that run along the front and return down one side on both floors, and the grooved square posts that carry them. The posts are grouped in twos and threes at uneven intervals, which makes the building read as larger than it is. The double doors have comb-shaped transoms and louvred shutters.
- How much does it cost to see Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House?
- There is no charge for the individual building. Museum admission covers it: 2,500 yen for adults, 1,500 yen for high school students, 700 yen for junior high and elementary pupils, free for preschool children. Prices are revised occasionally, so confirm on the official site.
Basic Information
| Name | Meiji Village Kobe Yamate Western Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | Museum Meiji-Mura, 1 Uchiyama, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Floor area 73 square meters |
| Owner | Meiji Mura Public Interest Foundation |
| Public Access | Exterior open during museum hours; interior normally closed and shown only on guided sessions; admission fee required |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database (Main House)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003674
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database (Annex)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003675
- Cultural Heritage Online
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/116554
- Museum Meiji-Mura, Kobe Yamate Western Residence
- https://www.meijimura.com/sight/%e7%a5%9e%e6%88%b8%e5%b1%b1%e6%89%8b%e8%a5%bf%e6%b4%8b%e4%ba%ba%e4%bd%8f%e5%b1%85/
- Museum Meiji-Mura, Admission Prices
- https://www.meijimura.com/guide/price/
- Museum Meiji-Mura, Opening Schedule
- https://www.meijimura.com/guide/open/
- Museum Meiji-Mura, Access
- https://www.meijimura.com/guide/access/
Last verified: 2026.09.03