What Is the Obara Family Residence Detached Wing?
The Obara Family Residence Detached Wing (小原家住宅離れ, Obara-ke Jūtaku Hanare) is a single-storey timber guest pavilion in Nanjo, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture, built around 1929 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 June 2017. It covers 63 square meters.
It stands southeast of the main house and faces west, a separate building set apart on the eastern side of the grounds. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the detached wing gives shape to the eastern side of the estate.
Two Roof Forms on a Small Building
The body of the Obara detached wing is a Yosemune-zukuri hipped block ringed by a lean-to Geya eave. The entrance has its own roof, in the Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable style. Pairing a plain hipped body with a gabled porch gives a modest building a formal front.
Inside there are only two rooms: an eight-mat Zashiki reception room and a four-and-a-half-mat Chashitsu tea room. Where the main house has its own formal rooms, this wing gathers a reception room and a tea room under one separate roof.
A Round Window and Tinted Plaster Moldings
What sets the Obara Family Residence Detached Wing apart is detail. In the side alcove of the reception room, the Tokowaki, a round window has been cut through the wall, a curve that stands out in a room of straight lines.
The second detail is harder to spot. On the narrow wall panels above the lintels, the exposed end grain of the timbers has been finished in tinted Shikkui plaster worked into molded profiles. Moldings like these are usually carved in wood; rendering them in colored plaster is what the Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies as the wing's own design.
The detached wing was registered as number 12-0220 for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the agency describes it as a fine example of its type.
Visiting
The Obara Family Residence Detached Wing is privately owned and the interior is not open. The round window and the plaster moldings are indoor features, so chances to see them are rare.
The wing sits inside the eastern part of the lot and is not visible from the road. Please do not enter the private grounds.
Q&A
- When was the Obara Family Residence Detached Wing built?
- Around 1929, which makes it one of the newer buildings on the estate.
- What rooms does the Obara Family Residence Detached Wing contain?
- Two: an eight-mat reception room and a four-and-a-half-mat tea room.
- What design features does the Obara Family Residence Detached Wing have?
- A round window in the side alcove of the reception room, and molded profiles in tinted plaster on the end grain of the wall panels above the lintels.
- When did the Obara Family Residence Detached Wing become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 28 June 2017, as registration number 12-0220.
- Can visitors see the Obara Family Residence Detached Wing?
- No. It is privately owned, the interior is closed, and it cannot be seen from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Obara Family Residence Detached Wing (小原家住宅離れ) |
|---|---|
| Location | 54 Nanjo, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 12-0220 |
| Year Designated | Registered 28 June 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber structure, tiled roof, building area 63 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Obara Family Residence Detached Wing (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011640
- Cultural Heritage Online: Obara Family Residence Detached Wing (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/285886
- 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
Last verified: 2026.09.28
