Built to be let, and the oldest of the four
The Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House (旧村上家住宅貸家, Kyū Murakami-ke Jūtaku Kashiya) is a late Edo period townhouse, built between 1751 and 1830, in the Shihocho quarter of Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 August 2023. It stands at the north end of the Murakami wax-merchant compound, beyond the annex, facing west onto Shihocho Street. Two storeys of timber under a tiled roof, 39 square meters of floor area.
The name says what it was for. The Agency for Cultural Affairs assigns a category to each of the four Murakami buildings, and while the main house, the annex and the storehouse are all filed under housing, the Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House alone is classed under tertiary industry. The difference in use survives in the paperwork.
It is also the oldest of the group, earlier than the main house of about 1869 and earlier than the late Edo annex. It was standing on this ground before the Murakami family became one of the wealthiest houses in Kita District on the profits of mokurō, the vegetable wax used for Japanese candles. Repairs came in the early Showa era and again in 2019.
Why it was listed, and what a low building means
The Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House was listed under the criterion for buildings contributing to the historic character of the national landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs ends its assessment with a phrase worth pausing on: a Machiya of low overall height that shapes the local streetscape.
Height is a dating tool for townhouses. Early modern Machiya kept the upper storey shallow, more a loft than a room. As the centuries passed the first floor came into full domestic use and the storey height rose with it. Set beside the tall front of the main house, this squat profile puts the gap between their construction dates in front of you without a word of explanation.
There is a second difference at ground level. Ehime Prefecture records that the deep degeta eaves treatment towards Shihocho Street belongs to the main house and the annex; for the rental house the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes only a Geya lean-to. Within one compound, the building meant for tenants was given the plainer front.
The roof is Kirizuma-zukuri with a Hirairi entrance under Sangawara-buki pantiles. One virtue of Japan's registration system is that it reaches buildings like this, which were never the point of the property.
What to look for
A bay window projects from the first floor towards the street. The annex has one too, but here the space behind it carries a narrow boarded gallery, so the room looks down over Shihocho Street from a seated position. The frontage faces west, and by mid-afternoon the light reaches back across those boards.
On the ground floor the Doma sits towards the front rather than running the depth of the building as a through passage. For 39 square meters intended for a tenant, that is the sensible plan.
The upper floor divides into two rooms, the western one fitted with a decorative alcove. So the Tokonoma and the gallery share the street side of the building. Even a house built to be let was given a room upstairs where a visitor could properly be received, which is the thinking that runs through all four Murakami buildings.
Seen from across the street, the Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House closes the row at its northern end. Main house, annex, rental house: frontage widths differ, eaves heights differ, and the sequence is simply the record of one family building in stages over roughly a century.
Visiting
The Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House is part of the OKI wing of NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Castle Town. Its address is 378 Shihocho Higashi, a separate lot number from the 379 shared by the other three buildings. Entry is for overnight guests and facility users; there is no general admission. The exterior can be seen from Shihocho Street at any hour, free of charge.
Exterior photography from the street is unrestricted. Inside, the building is a working lodging house, so follow the operator's guidance.
From Iyo-Ōzu Station on the JR Yosan Line the walk south is about 1.5 kilometers, roughly 20 minutes, or 5 minutes by car. Reserve by the previous day and the operator will meet you at the station. Drivers leave the Matsuyama Expressway at the Ozu-Kōnan interchange, about 10 minutes out, and guest parking is at the Ohanahan-dōri car park.
This is the Kōnan district, where the old street pattern survives. Walking south along Shihocho Street from the Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House brings you past the fronts of the annex and then the main house.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House?
- The exterior can be seen from Shihocho Street at any time, free of charge. The interior is in use as hotel accommodation and is limited to guests and facility users.
- When was the Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House built?
- In the late Edo period, estimated between 1751 and 1830, making it the oldest of the four Murakami buildings. It was repaired in the early Showa era and again in 2019.
- What heritage status does the Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House hold?
- It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), listed on 7 August 2023 under the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic character of the national landscape.
- How does the Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House differ from the main house?
- It is noticeably lower in overall height and plainer at ground level. The Agency for Cultural Affairs also files it under tertiary industry rather than housing, the category given to the main house.
- How do I reach the Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House?
- It is about 1.5 kilometers south of Iyo-Ōzu Station on the JR Yosan Line, some 20 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by car. The operator runs a station pick-up if booked by the day before, and the Ozu-Kōnan interchange on the Matsuyama Expressway is about 10 minutes away.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House (旧村上家住宅貸家) |
|---|---|
| Location | 378 Shihocho Higashi, Ozu, Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 7 August 2023 (Reiwa 5) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, floor area 39 square meters |
| Owner | KITA Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | In use as hotel accommodation. Exterior viewable from the street; interior limited to guests and facility users |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014696
- Cultural Heritage Online, Former Murakami Family Residence Rental House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/550018
- Cultural Properties of Our Town: Former Murakami Family Residence (Ozu City)
- https://www.city.ozu.ehime.jp/site/bunkazai/66298.html
- Cultural Properties of Ehime: Former Murakami Family Residence Main House and three others (Ehime Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.ehime.jp/ehimenotakara/758.html
- NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Castle Town, OKI wing
- https://www.ozucastle.com/stay/oki
- NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Castle Town, Access
- https://www.ozucastle.com/access/
Last verified: 2026.09.04