The great hall
The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Great Hall Wing (旧蔵内家住宅大広間棟, Kyū-Kurauchi-ke Jūtaku Ōhiroma-tō) in Kamifukano, Chikujo-machi, Fukuoka Prefecture, is a long single-storey banquet wing of 1918 north of the Zashiki Wing, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002.
Running north to south and facing the garden to the east, it covers 240 square metres, the largest single-storey building on the estate. The roof has a T-shaped main ridge with gables on three sides and eaves all round, and inside two 18-mat rooms run one into the other.
A Munafuda, the ridge tablet builders fixed in the roof, names the master carpenter as Nakae Kuju of nearby Yamada village, now part of Buzen City.
Why it was registered
The Great Hall Wing was registered as number 40-0024 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The national record notes its dignified presence on the garden, the spaciousness of its interior and its distinctive formal decoration.
Having the carpenter's name confirmed by a ridge tablet is valuable for a regional building of this period. A coal fortune paid for the house, but it was a local master, not a big-city firm, who built it, and Chikujo Town sees in it the high skill of provincial carpenters and craftsmen of the day.
The local tourism association singles out the tatami corridor running round the hall, with its bowed ceiling of Yakushima cedar, and the paired 18-mat rooms as the house's defining spaces. The town adds that Taiwanese cypress was used for posts and floorboards.
What to look for
Walk the tatami corridor and look up. The ceiling curves like a drawn bow, lined with long boards of Yakushima cedar, so that the arc overhead and the garden beside you fill the eye together.
With the sliding doors removed, the two 18-mat rooms become a single room of 36 mats, big enough for banquets and memorial gatherings, and the alcove and shelving are scaled to match.
Outside, view the wing from the garden to the east. The T-shaped ridge throws gables in three directions and breaks up the long mass. The Grand Entrance Wing uses the same T-plan roof, and comparing the two suggests a shared design hand in the Taisho work.
Visiting the Great Hall Wing
The Former Kurauchi Family Residence Great Hall Wing is on the regular Kyu-Kurauchi-tei route and admission includes the interior. Kyu-Kurauchi-tei hosts exhibitions, tea gatherings and moon-viewing evenings from time to time, and the area open to visitors may change while they are on.
Wheelchairs cannot be used inside. Check photography rules at the desk. Hours and directions are on the Former Kurauchi Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukuoka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Kurauchi Family Residence Great Hall Wing
- [ Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine & Hakata Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Kurauchi Family Residence Great Hall Wing built?
- In 1918.
- Who built the Kurauchi Great Hall Wing?
- A ridge tablet names the master carpenter as Nakae Kuju of nearby Yamada village.
- How big is the Kurauchi Great Hall Wing?
- It has two 18-mat rooms in a row and covers 240 square metres.
- What is the highlight of the Kurauchi Great Hall Wing?
- The tatami corridor with its bowed ceiling of Yakushima cedar, and the paired rooms facing the garden.
- Can visitors enter the Kurauchi Great Hall Wing?
- Yes. It is on the Kyu-Kurauchi-tei route, although the area open may change during events.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kurauchi Family Residence Great Hall Wing |
|---|---|
| Location | 396 Kamifukano, Chikujo-machi, Chikujo-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/2/14 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 240 square metres (2 rooms of 18 tatami) |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (opened to the public by Chikujo Town as Kyu-Kurauchi-tei) |
| Public Access | Open to the public as part of the Kyu-Kurauchi-tei tour route (closed Wednesdays) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database: Former Kurauchi Family Residence Great Hall Wing (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002705
- Facilities: Kyu-Kurauchi-tei (Chikujo History Walk)
- https://www.chikujo-rekishi.jp/guide/kyukurauchitei/k002.html
- Kyu-Kurauchi-tei (Chikujo Tourism Association)
- https://chikujokanko.com/sightseeing/62/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
