What the Nakamura Family Residence Annex Is
The Nakamura Family Residence Annex (中村家住宅離れ, Nakamura-ke jūtaku hanare) is a late Meiji 2-storey annex joined to the rear of the main house on the Nakamura estate in Onikoshi, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 October 2014. It is a timber building under a hipped pantile roof, Yosemune-zukuri, with a building area of 75 square metres, altered in the mid-Showa years.
Lean-to roofs, Geya, and small hoods over the windows run around the outside, and the walls are weatherboarded in the sasarako style: overlapping horizontal boards held by vertical battens notched to fit each step. The boards and battens together draw a fine grid across the wall.
Inside, both floors repeat the same plan: an eight-mat principal room with a formal alcove arrangement beside a six-mat room. The ground floor adds a reception room with a boat-bottom ceiling, and upstairs a veranda with a railing, Kōran, wraps the southeast side.
Why It Was Registered
The Nakamura Family Residence Annex was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an annex with a calm, settled presence.
Stacking the same suite of rooms on both floors says a good deal about the building. Each level has an eight-mat room fitted with a Tokonoma alcove and related fittings, so rooms for receiving guests were provided on two storeys, with the ground-floor reception room besides. Behind the main house, which held family life, the household set aside a separate building for hospitality.
The upstairs veranda and railing facing southeast exist for looking out from the formal rooms. If the main house on the highway is the public face of the estate, the Nakamura Family Residence Annex is the building at the back that looks quietly out over the garden and the sky.
What to Look For
The sasarako weatherboarding rewards a close look. Each vertical batten is notched to follow the steps of the overlapping boards, so board and batten lock together.
The boat-bottom ceiling of the ground-floor reception room rises to a ridge in the middle and falls to the sides, like an upturned hull. Set beside rooms with flat ceilings, it makes the reception room a slightly more formal space.
The upstairs veranda and railing open to the southeast. Carrying a veranda around the upper-floor rooms shows how much the annex valued its view.
Visiting
The Nakamura Family Residence Annex is part of a private home and the interior is closed. Ichikawa City's and Chiba Prefecture's heritage pages list no chance to see the formal rooms or the reception room (checked 25 September 2026).
Because it stands behind the main house to the south, deep in the property, it is hard to see from the highway. Please do not peer through the gateway to try to find it.
Directions and the conditions for seeing the estate as a whole are covered on the Nakamura Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Nakamura Family Residence Annex?
- The interior is closed because it is part of a private home. It stands behind the main house deep in the property, which makes it hard to see even from the road.
- When was the Nakamura Family Residence Annex built?
- In the late Meiji era, with alterations in the mid-Showa years. It was registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 October 2014.
- What is inside the Nakamura Family Residence Annex?
- Both floors have an eight-mat principal room with a formal alcove beside a six-mat room, and the ground floor adds a reception room with a boat-bottom ceiling.
- How are the walls of the Nakamura Family Residence Annex finished?
- In sasarako weatherboarding, with overlapping horizontal boards held by vertical battens notched to fit them.
- How big is the Nakamura Family Residence Annex?
- It is a 2-storey timber building with a hipped pantile roof and a building area of 75 square metres, joined to the rear of the main house.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakamura Family Residence Annex (中村家住宅離れ) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-200-2 Onikoshi, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 12-0172 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/10/07 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 75 square metres |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Nakamura Family Residence Annex (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010112
- Nakamura Family Residence Main House and Others (Chiba Prefectural Board of Education)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-078.html
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Ichikawa City Board of Education)
- https://www.city.ichikawa.lg.jp/page/4202.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
