A Taisho House Built Around Its Entrance Wing
The Mogi Honke Residence Main House (茂木本家住宅主屋, Mogi Honke Jūtaku Shuoku) in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, is the principal dwelling of the Mogi Shichizaemon soy sauce brewing family, completed in 1926 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 15 January 2010. It is a single-storey timber house with a building area of 488 square metres.
The 11th Mogi Shichizaemon commissioned the design from Sato Ryokichi, an architect trained in the tradition of temple and shrine carpenters. Most of the estate went up in the same year, with the house at its centre.
Of the 13 registered structures here, the Mogi Honke Residence Main House is the only one listed as a model of design. The other twelve were recognised for their part in the historic landscape; in this case it was the building itself that earned the registration.
Three Wings, a Carriage Porch and a Bay Window
The plan hangs on a long entrance wing running north to south. Two wings project east from it, a guest wing toward the south end and a family wing toward the north. Noda City describes the whole as a shoin (reception) wing, a living wing and an entrance wing.
The main roofs are laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, and only the lean-to eaves of the Geya below are sheathed in copper. On the west side of the entrance wing is a carriage porch, where guests arriving through the Main Gate stepped down from their cars.
At the south end of the entrance wing sits the reception room, a Western-style parlour with a bay window. The guest wing holds a formal Zashiki with a Tokonoma alcove, so the family could receive visitors in either idiom. Chiba Prefecture singles out exactly this pairing, fine Japanese reception rooms alongside a Western parlour, as the mark of a high-quality house.
Visiting
The Mogi Honke Residence Main House is still the family's home, and Noda City states that the interior cannot be visited. The grounds are closed too. The house stands well inside the property, and whether any part of it can be seen from the street has not been confirmed; the carriage porch and the bay window both face inward.
Please do not photograph through gaps in the gate or fence into the house. Directions are on the Mogi Honke Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Mogi Honke Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private family home, and neither the interior nor the grounds are open.
- When was the Mogi Honke Residence Main House built, and who designed it?
- It was completed in 1926. The 11th Mogi Shichizaemon commissioned the architect Sato Ryokichi, who came from the tradition of temple and shrine carpenters.
- What is the layout of the Mogi Honke Residence Main House?
- A long north-south entrance wing forms the spine, with a guest wing and a family wing projecting east. A carriage porch is on the west side and a Western-style parlour at the south end.
- Why is the Mogi Honke Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered as a model of design. It is the only one of the estate's 13 registered structures listed on that criterion.
- How large is the Mogi Honke Residence Main House?
- It is a single-storey timber house with a building area of 488 square metres, roofed in pantiles with copper-clad lower eaves.
Basic Information
| Name | Mogi Honke Residence Main House (茂木本家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 242-15 Higashishitamachi, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); registration no. 12-0126; criterion: a model of design |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/1/15 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof partly clad in copper, building area 488 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open (private home; no access to the interior or grounds) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Mogi Honke Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007957
- Chiba Prefecture: Mogi Honke Residence Main House and other structures
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-021.html
- Noda City: Mogi Honke Residence
- https://www.city.noda.chiba.jp/kurashi/kyoiku/bunka/1000585/1000591.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
