Former Kasaishi Residence: A Farmhouse Where Horses Lived Under the Same Roof
Step inside the Former Kasaishi Residence and the first thing you notice is how much of it was never meant for people. Nearly a third of the floor area was a horse stall, the maya, set right beside the rooms where the family ate, slept, and warmed themselves at the hearth. In the uplands of what is now Towada City, in northern Aomori Prefecture, horses were not livestock kept at a distance. They lived indoors, a few steps from the cooking fire.
The house sits on the right bank of the Oirase River, in the Tochikubo settlement of Okuse. It is a single-storey building of the sugaya type, meaning one straight rectangular volume rather than an L-shaped plan, roofed with thick thatch over a hipped frame. Measuring about 18.7 metres along the front and 10.2 metres deep, it was home to the Kasaishi family, who farmed this stretch of upland for generations. People lived in it as a working farmhouse until around 1973, the same year it was recognised for protection.
Why It Was Designated
The residence was named a national Important Cultural Property on 23 February 1973. Its exact construction date is not documented, but it is thought to date from the second half of the 18th century, the late Edo period. What earned it protection was not grandeur. It is a middle-ranking farmer's house, plain in materials, and its value lies in how faithfully it preserves older building methods that had vanished elsewhere.
The posts stand directly on foundation stones, with no continuous timber sill laid beneath them, a technique known as ishiba-date. The main beams were shaped with an adze rather than sawn and planed smooth, so the surfaces still carry the shallow scalloping the tool leaves behind. Inside, every living room is floored with boards and left open to the roof, with no ceiling to hide the blackened rafters. These are features of a comparatively early stage in rural house-building, kept intact here long after they were replaced in most homes.
The stable holds a further clue. Its beams are framed differently from the dwelling section, which specialists read as a trace of an earlier time when the stable stood as a separate structure from the house. The building therefore records a step in how dwellings in this region took shape, a wide stall and the living quarters gradually brought together under one roof.
What to Look For When You Visit
The stable is the part to slow down for. Posts were set one ken apart, roughly every 1.8 metres, to tether the animals, and the sheer width of the space says plainly how central horse-rearing was to this household. The northern districts of old Nanbu country were prized horse country, and the floor plan reflects that economy as directly as any written record.
Look up. With no ceiling, the structure is fully exposed: smoke-darkened beams, the adze marks catching the light, and the underside of the thatch. The cooking hearth, the kamado, and the earthen-floored work area give a clear sense of how a single space served for cooking, crafts, and daily chores. Move through the rooms in order and the logic of the plan reveals itself: the stable at one end, the kitchen and work area in the middle, then the living room, guest room, and sleeping and storage spaces beyond.
Because the house was restored to its original arrangement after later alterations were removed, what you walk through is close to how it would have stood two centuries ago, allowing for the repairs needed to keep a thatched building standing.
The Setting and Getting There
A folk museum, the Towada City Lake Towada Folk Museum, shares the grounds. It displays farm tools, everyday implements, and weaving equipment donated by local residents, and many items can be handled directly rather than viewed behind glass. Seeing the objects and the house together fills out the picture of rural life in the area.
The site sits between two of Japan's best-known landscapes. Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge, both designated Special Places of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monuments, lie a short drive away, and many visitors fold the residence into a wider trip through the Towada-Hachimantai area. By car it is about 10 minutes from the Yakeyama hot-spring area and roughly 90 minutes from Shichinohe-Towada Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen. By bus, ride from Shichinohe-Towada or Hachinohe Station to Towada-shi Chuo, change to a Yakeyama-bound bus, get off at Katakaizawa, and walk about 20 minutes.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aomori
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Kasaishi Family Residence (Towada Cho, Kamikita Gun,
- [ Discover Hirosaki Castle & Oirase Gorge Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I go inside the house?
- Yes. The residence is open to the public alongside the adjacent folk museum. Admission is free. Opening hours are 9:00 to 16:30 from April through October, and 9:00 to 16:00 from November through March.
- When is it closed?
- Tuesdays (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday), and over the New Year period from 29 December to 3 January. It is wise to confirm before a long detour, especially in winter.
- Why is so much of the building a stable?
- Horse-rearing was a mainstay of the local economy in this part of old Nanbu country. Keeping horses indoors, in a stall taking up about a third of the house, protected valuable animals from harsh winters and reflects how closely the household's livelihood was tied to them.
- How old is the building?
- There is no surviving record of the exact year. It is estimated to date from the second half of the 18th century, in the late Edo period, based on its construction methods and form.
- What else is nearby?
- Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge are both within easy reach by car and pair well with a visit. The Yakeyama hot-spring area is roughly 10 minutes away and makes a convenient base.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kasaishi Residence (Kyu Kasaishi-ke Jutaku) |
|---|---|
| Location | 80 Tochikubo, Okuse, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture (the national register lists the former name, Towadako Town, Kamikita District) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (buildings), designated 23 February 1973 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Period | Late Edo period, estimated second half of the 18th century |
| Structure | Approx. 18.7 m frontage, 10.2 m depth; hipped roof, thatched; sugaya (straight-form) plan |
| Owner | Towada City |
| Open to public | Yes. Free admission. Apr-Oct 9:00-16:30, Nov-Mar 9:00-16:00. Closed Tuesdays and 29 Dec to 3 Jan |
| Contact | Towada City Lake Towada Folk Museum, Tel 0176-74-2547 |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/86
- Cultural Heritage Online (National Institutes for Cultural Heritage)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/184236
- Former Kasaishi Residence (Aomori Prefecture, Board of Education)
- https://www.pref.aomori.lg.jp/soshiki/kyoiku/e-bunka/jubun_kenzoubutu_18.html
- Towada City Lake Towada Folk Museum (Towada City)
- https://www.city.towada.lg.jp/bunka/bunka/minzokushiryoukan.html
Last verified: 2026.06.03