What Yorokaku Is
The Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku (佐々木家住宅養老閣, Sasaki-ke Jūtaku Yōrōkaku) in Maego, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, is a 3-storey timber villa completed in 1921 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002. It has a building area of 92 square meters and a sheet-metal roof, partly tiled.
Yorokaku is a separate wing linked to the main house by a corridor. According to Yurihonjo City, work began around 1917 and took five years to finish.
Three Floors and a Lookout
What gives the Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku its outline is the stack of roofs. A 2-storey block with a hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri) running north to south carries a third, lookout-like storey with a hipped roof of its own on the same axis. Shachi, the fish-bodied guardians seen on castle roofs, sit at both ends of the top ridge.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the building a landmark of the district, and it was registered as no. 05-0076 for its contribution to the historic landscape. Yurihonjo City goes further, describing Yorokaku as the only surviving 3-storey timber villa in Akita Prefecture.
On the plans in the city leaflet, the ground and first floors each hold a pair of connected reception rooms, upper and lower, both with a Tokonoma alcove. The top floor is a single room with an alcove: the lookout-style storey.
Carving, Lacquer and Etched Glass
The Agency notes lavish use of clear lacquer inside, which lets the wood grain show through, along with Western-style details.
The city lists the ornament room by room. The gable of the entrance porch is carved with cranes and clouds. Ceilings along the verandas and corridors are of the batten type (Saobuchi-tenjō). Between the upper and lower rooms runs a screen of fine Kumiko latticework with a carving of wild geese against the moon.
The sliding doors along each room are set with custom-made etched glass whose central panels show scenes such as the Eight Views of Maego, scenes of the district made for this house.
Photographs in the leaflet show a staircase built as a Hako-kaidan step-chest, a top-floor ceiling of solid zelkova boards, and a Kōran balustrade with a diamond motif around the upper floor.
Visiting Yorokaku
The Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku is part of a private home and is not open to the public, so the etched glass and zelkova ceiling are known only from the city leaflet's photographs.
From outside, the lookout storey and the shachi make Yorokaku the easiest of the four buildings to spot. View it from the street without entering the grounds, and photograph only from there. Directions to the estate are on the Sasaki Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Akita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku
- [ Kakunodate Samurai District & Lake Tazawa Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku built?
- Work began around 1917 and the villa was finished in 1921, five years later.
- How many storeys does the Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku have?
- Three. A lookout-style top floor sits on a 2-storey hipped-roof block, with shachi at both ends of the top ridge.
- Why is the Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku a registered cultural property?
- It was registered on February 14, 2002, for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a local landmark.
- What decoration is inside the Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku?
- A carving of wild geese and the moon, custom etched glass with local scenes, batten ceilings, a step-chest staircase and a solid zelkova ceiling on the top floor.
- Can visitors go inside the Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku?
- No. It is part of a private home. The exterior can be seen from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku (佐々木家住宅養老閣) |
|---|---|
| Location | 207 Maego, Maego, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), register no. 05-0076 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 14, 2002 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3-storey wooden building, sheet-metal roof partly tiled, building area 92 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior from the street only) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002588
- Cultural Heritage Online: Sasaki Family Residence Yorokaku
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/138358
- Sasaki Family Residence (Yurihonjo City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/1001503/1002098/1002113/1002126/1003555.html
- Sasaki Residence leaflet (Yurihonjo City, PDF, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/003/555/1003555_001.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.27
