What Is the Obara Family Residence Main House?
The Obara Family Residence Main House (小原家住宅主屋, Obara-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a single-storey timber farmhouse in Nanjo, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture, built around 1859 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 June 2017. With a building area of 233 square meters, it is the largest of the six registered structures on the Obara estate.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records three phases in its fabric: construction around 1859, at the very end of the Edo period; a remodeling in 1896; and an extension during the early Showa period, between 1926 and 1945. Its official description singles the house out as a farmhouse that keeps a clear record of the shift from the early modern to the modern era.
A Hipped Core and a Six-Room Plan
The Obara main house faces south. Its core is a Yosemune-zukuri block under a tiled hipped roof, wrapped by a lean-to Geya eave and fronted by a formal entrance porch. The kitchen and an earth-floored Doma work area are attached to the west.
The raised-floor living space follows a Rokumadori plan: six rooms arranged in two rows of three, a layout typical of larger farmhouses.
The inner reception room is the showpiece. Most formal rooms have a Tokowaki, the side alcove with shelves, on one side of the Tokonoma. In the Obara Family Residence Main House there is a tokowaki on both sides, a grand arrangement that the agency's description picks out by name. A kamibenjo, a separate, better-appointed toilet reserved for guests, also survives near the formal rooms.
The Meiji Remodeling and the Interiors
Reporting on the registration in November 2017, the Bōnichi Shimbun wrote that the late-Edo house was extensively remodeled in the Meiji era by Obara Kinji, the head of the family, who served in the Chiba prefectural assembly and then in the national House of Representatives. The 1896 remodeling in the agency's record falls within his time.
The same article pointed to openwork Ranma transom carvings, carving on the family Buddhist altar by the first Gotō Yoshimitsu, and the old window glass that runs around the house. All of these are interior features and cannot be seen from outside.
The Obara Family Residence Main House was registered, as number 12-0219, for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its value lies in the way three periods of work, an Edo frame, a Meiji remodeling and a Showa extension, can each be read within one building.
Visiting
The Obara Family Residence Main House is privately owned and still a family home. The interior is not open, so the reception rooms and carvings cannot be viewed.
The house stands toward the north of the lot, well behind the gates, and can hardly be seen from the road. Please do not enter the private grounds.
Q&A
- When was the Obara Family Residence Main House built?
- Around 1859. It was remodeled in 1896 and extended in the early Showa period.
- What is special about the layout of the Obara Family Residence Main House?
- It has a six-room plan, and the inner reception room has a side alcove on both sides of the tokonoma. A guest toilet also survives.
- Who remodeled the Obara Family Residence Main House?
- According to the Bōnichi Shimbun, Obara Kinji, head of the family and a Meiji-era member of the House of Representatives. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the remodeling to 1896.
- When did the Obara Family Residence Main House become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 28 June 2017, as registration number 12-0219, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can visitors see the Obara Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and the interior is closed. It stands deep inside the lot and is difficult to see from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Obara Family Residence Main House (小原家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 54 Nanjo, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 12-0219 |
| Year Designated | Registered 28 June 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber structure, tiled roof, building area 233 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Obara Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011639
- Cultural Heritage Online: Obara Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/256275
- Obara Family Residence: Main House, Detached Wing, Rice Storehouse, Document Storehouse, Former Nagayamon Gate, Front Gate (Tateyama City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.tateyama.chiba.jp/syougaigaku/page100122.html
- Registration certificate presented to the Obara Family Residence (Bonichi Shimbun, 22 November 2017, reproduced by the Awa Cultural Heritage Forum, Japanese)
- https://awa-ecom.jp/bunka-isan/7016/
- Obara Kinji (金治) and Obara Kinji (謹治) (Awa Cultural Heritage Forum, Japanese)
- https://awa-ecom.jp/bunka-isan/section/awa-04-08/
Last verified: 2026.09.28
