A Thatched Farmhouse at the Heart of a Brewing Family
The Suzuki Family Residence Main House (鈴木家住宅主屋, Suzuki-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a thatched farmhouse built in the early Meiji era in Nishimachi, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) in 2002. It is a single-storey timber house with a building area of 126 square metres, measuring 7 by 5 bays (Ken). The hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri) is thatched (Kayabuki), and the entrance front runs along the long side, parallel to the ridge (Hirairi).
The house stands back from the old road that follows the Tōjō coast and is the domestic heart of a family that has brewed sake since the Meiji era. Four more buildings survive around it, and all five were registered on the same day.
Why It Was Registered
The Suzuki Family Residence Main House was registered under the criterion of serving as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points out that it has the characteristic features of a Bōsō farmhouse, the traditional house type of the southern Chiba peninsula.
Those features show in the plan. The east end is an earth-floored work area (Doma); the raised floor is divided into five rooms; a formal entrance with a low step (Shikidai) is set at the southwest corner; and a veranda (Engawa) runs along the west side. Work and cooking on the east, guests and formal rooms on the west: this is the arrangement of a well-to-do Bōsō farming household.
The roof tells its own story. A smoke vent opens near the ridge of the thatch, while a tiled lean-to roof (Geya) projects on the south side. A vent for clearing hearth smoke and a tiled lean-to sit together on one roof.
What to Look For
The sheer bulk of the thatched hip roof is the first thing to register, a thick blanket of grass over a 7-bay ridge, its lower edge carried on the tiled lean-to. Thatch and tile meet at two different heights.
The formal entrance at the southwest corner was meant for guests of standing and is quite separate from the everyday door into the earth-floored area. It says something about the family's place in the district and preserves the form of an early Meiji farmhouse of the better sort.
Visiting
The Suzuki Family Residence Main House is a private home and the interior is not open to visitors. Because the house stands back from the old road, whether you can see the thatched roof from the street depends on where you stand and the season. The grounds are closed; please look only from the road and keep your visit quiet.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Suzuki Family Residence Main House in Kamogawa?
- No. It is a private home, the grounds are closed, and because it stands back from the old road only a limited view is possible from the street.
- When was the Suzuki Family Residence Main House in Kamogawa built?
- In the early Meiji era. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2002.
- What kind of roof does the Suzuki Family Residence Main House have?
- A thatched hipped roof with a smoke vent near the ridge and a tiled lean-to on the south side.
- What is special about the plan of the Suzuki Family Residence Main House?
- It has an earth-floored work area on the east, five raised rooms, a formal entrance at the southwest corner and a veranda on the west, all typical of the Bōsō farmhouse.
- How large is the Suzuki Family Residence Main House?
- It measures 7 by 5 bays, with a building area of 126 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuki Family Residence Main House (鈴木家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1139-3 Nishimachi, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/2/14 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, thatched; building area 126 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Suzuki Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002609
- Cultural Heritage Online: Suzuki Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/193609
- Chiba Prefectural Board of Education: Suzuki Family Residence Main House and others, Kamogawa (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-067.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
