Yamauchi Family Residence Garage
The Yamauchi Family Residence Garage (山内家住宅車庫, Yamauchi-ke Jūtaku Shako) is a concrete garage on the old Ushū Kaidō highway, next to the main house of a kimono merchant family in Fukibari, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, built in the early Showa period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 2, 2007.
It is a single-story concrete building with a building area of 26 square meters, 7.3 meters by 3.6 meters, under a gabled sheet-metal roof with the gable end facing the highway in the Tsumairi manner. Yuzawa City describes it as a garage of Western-style design.
Of the seven registered buildings at the Yamauchi Family Residence, the garage is the only one built of neither timber nor earth and plaster.
Why the Garage Was Registered
The Yamauchi Family Residence Garage was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it, together with the main house, with forming a fine streetscape.
The main house and the garage are the only two of the seven that face the old Ushū Kaidō directly, and the garage is valued as part of that street front. Beside the main house's traditional gable of stacked beams, it restates the same end-on gable in a small concrete box.
What to Look For: Spiral Brackets
The front is taken up by an opening the full width of the building, the way in for the car. At the back is a pair of sliding doors. A hood runs over the openings, carried on Mochiokuri brackets worked in a spiral design.
Those spirals do most of the work of giving the garage its Western look. Stand where you can see it with the main house, and you can take in a Japanese townhouse and a Western-style design side by side, built as part of one project.
Visiting the Garage
The Yamauchi Family Residence Garage faces the old Ushū Kaidō, so its exterior can be seen from the road at any time. Take in the whole front from across the road first, then move a little closer along the edge of the road to see the opening, the hood and the spiral brackets.
The interior is closed, and the garage is not among the venues of Yuzawa City's 2026 open house. Keep photography to the exterior from the road. The Yamauchi Family Residence page covers directions.
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Q&A
- What is the Yamauchi Family Residence Garage?
- A single-story concrete garage on the old Ushū Kaidō, beside the main house of the Yamauchi estate, with a gabled sheet-metal roof facing the street and a building area of 26 square meters.
- How big is the Yamauchi Family Residence Garage?
- It measures 7.3 meters by 3.6 meters, with a building area of 26 square meters.
- What should I look for on the Yamauchi Family Residence Garage?
- The spiral-patterned mochiokuri brackets that carry the hood over the openings. Yuzawa City describes the garage as Western-style in design.
- When was the Yamauchi Family Residence Garage built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Showa period. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 2, 2007.
- Can visitors see the Yamauchi Family Residence Garage?
- Its exterior can be seen from the old Ushū Kaidō at any time. The interior is closed and is not part of Yuzawa City's 2026 open house.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamauchi Family Residence Garage |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-1-4 Fukibari, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/10/2 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 7.3 meters by 3.6 meters; building area 26 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the road; interior closed |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Garage (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006335
- Cultural Heritage Online: Garage (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/142098
- Yuzawa City: Yamauchi Family Residence Main House and six other buildings (Japanese)
- https://www.city-yuzawa.jp/site/bunkazai/2216.html
- Akita Prefecture: Yamauchi Family Residence, registered 2007 (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.akita.lg.jp/pages/archive/3375
Last verified: 2026.09.25
