The Main House of a Headman's Homestead
The Shibuya Family Residence Main House (澁谷家住宅主屋) is a thatched farmhouse of 1826 in Nakasatsuma, Kamagaya City, Chiba Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 17, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber house with a thatched roof, temporarily sheathed in metal, and a building area of 186 square metres, renovated in 1978 and extended in 1986; registration number 12-0300.
A Large Hipped Thatched House
The Shibuya Family Residence Main House stands at the centre of the plot, facing east (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its hipped thatched roof was sheathed in 1978 with steel sheet pressed to look like tiles; there was once a smoke vent on the ridge (Kamagaya City conservation plan).
The city plan dates the house to 1826, the year given in a catalogue of the family papers published in 1960. It is large, 9 and a half bays by 5 and a half, and its steep roof, carried on a scissor-truss frame, rises more than 9 metres to the ridge.
Inside, the rooms run in two rows from front to back, with the earth-floored work area at the north end. On the raised floor, the Zashiki sits at the centre of the front, with the Nakanoma and the Oku to its south; the Chanoma and the Heya line the back (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Kamagaya City). At the south end of the front is a formal entrance with a raised step, roofed by an extension of the main roof.
In 1986 a lean-to with a bath and toilet was added west of the Chanoma, and glazed doors arrived at about the same time. That addition lies outside the registered building (Kamagaya City conservation plan).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency singles out the projecting eaves carried on three sides and the formal entrance at the south end of the front, calling it a farmhouse of grand scale befitting an old local family; it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The city plan notes that despite changes around the work area and some openings, the heavy timber frame and the carefully finished guest rooms keep their original character, and that the plan of the house shows the starting point from which local farmhouse layouts later developed.
What to Look For
Seen through the gate from the east, the great roof of the main house rises beyond the fields. The roof, more than 9 metres to the ridge, and the level line of the projecting eaves on three sides give a sense of its scale.
At the south end of the front, the main roof sweeps straight down over the formal entrance. The city plan counts the view from that entrance out through the gate as part of the homestead's landscape.
Visiting
The interior of the Shibuya Family Residence Main House is not normally open. The city plan will fit it out as a place to experience everyday life from the Edo period to the present, shown on city-run tours by reservation for groups of about 15.
The plan schedules conservation repairs and structural reinforcement of the main house for fiscal 2026, with opening to the public for fiscal 2027.
Q&A
- When was the Shibuya Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1826 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Kamagaya City regards it as the oldest surviving building in the city.
- Is the Shibuya Family Residence Main House still thatched?
- Yes, but the thatch was sheathed in 1978 with steel sheet shaped like tiles (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Kamagaya City).
- How is the Shibuya Family Residence Main House laid out?
- Rooms in two rows front to back, with the earth-floored area to the north and the Zashiki at the centre of the front.
- Can I go inside the Shibuya Family Residence Main House?
- Not at present. The city plans to open it in fiscal 2027 (Kamagaya City).
- When was the Shibuya Family Residence Main House registered?
- On August 17, 2020 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shibuya Family Residence Main House (澁谷家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 77 Nakasatsuma 1-chome, Kamagaya City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2020/08/17 (Reiwa 2) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, thatch temporarily sheathed in metal, 186 m² |
| Owner | Kamagaya City |
| Public Access | Not normally open (opening planned for fiscal 2027) |
References
- Shibuya Family Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013350
- Conservation and Use Plan for the Shibuya Family Residence, main volume (Kamagaya City, Japanese PDF)
- https://www.city.kamagaya.chiba.jp/kanko-bunka-sports/bunka/sibuyakehozonnintei.files/honbunsibuya.pdf
- Conservation and Use Plan, summary (Kamagaya City, Japanese PDF)
- https://www.city.kamagaya.chiba.jp/kanko-bunka-sports/bunka/sibuyakehozonnintei.files/gaiyousibuya.pdf
- Cultural Properties of Kamagaya (Kamagaya City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kamagaya.chiba.jp/kosodate-kyouiku/kyoikuindex/bunka_menu/bunkazai.html
Last verified: 2026.10.20
