Former Uchida Saheiji Family Residence Retirement Cottage
The Former Uchida Saheiji Family Residence Retirement Cottage (旧内田佐平二家住宅隠居屋) is a structure built in the early Meiji period at the Uchida Saheiji family house in Utsumi, Minamichita Town, Chita District, Aichi Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 2, 2018, under registration number 23-0533. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 22 square metres, renovated in 2013.
According to Minamichita Town, the Saheiji house was built by the Sashichi family for the first Sazo, who had managed the family's branch shop, when he returned to Utsumi; a house-plan divination chart of May 1872 dates it to around that time.
Why It Was Registered
The retirement cottage was registered in 2018 as contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency explains that it stands in the northeast corner of the plot, joined to the east side of the storehouse: a two-storey gabled building with its ridge running east to west and an entrance at the west end of the south side. It conveys the life of a shipowning family and forms part of a traditional house compound.
What to Look For
Inside, according to the Agency, the west is an anteroom doubling as the storehouse entrance, and the east a six-mat reception room with a hanging alcove; the upper floor is a boarded storeroom. The town describes a sukiya-style room, with paper doors at the centre of the south side opening directly onto the courtyard and an exposed-lath window to the west.
The courtyard between the cottage and the main house is screened from the neighbouring plot by an openwork fence (Minamichita Town). Notice how the reception room looks out onto this courtyard.
Visiting
No public opening information for the Saheiji house was found in Minamichita Town's guidance, which covers the main Uchida (Sashichi) house. Ask the town's education division (0569-65-0711) whether it can be visited. Opening days, admission and access are on the Uchida Family Residences of the Utsumi Shipowners page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aichi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Uchida Saheiji Family Residence Retirement Cottage
- [ Nagoya Castle & Atsuta Shrine History Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the retirement cottage built?
- In the early Meiji period; it was renovated in 2013.
- When was it registered?
- On November 2, 2018, as registration number 23-0533.
- What is inside?
- An anteroom doubling as the storehouse entrance and a six-mat room with a hanging alcove, with a storeroom upstairs.
- What is distinctive about its design?
- Sukiya-style touches, including paper doors opening onto the courtyard and an exposed-lath window.
- Can I visit the cottage?
- No public opening information was found; ask Minamichita Town's education division.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Uchida Saheiji Family Residence Retirement Cottage (旧内田佐平二家住宅隠居屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 55 Minamigawa, Utsumi, Minamichita Town, Chita District, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/11/2 (Heisei 30), registration no. 23-0533 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 22 square metres |
| Owner | Minamichita Town |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (ask the town) |
References
- 旧内田佐平二家住宅隠居屋 (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012562
- About the Uchida houses (Minamichita Town)
- https://www.town.minamichita.lg.jp/kankosangyou/bunkasports/1001407/1001408.html
Last verified: 2026.10.04
