What the Former Kai Family Residence Main House is
The Former Kai Family Residence Main House (旧甲斐家住宅主屋, Kyū Kai-ke Jūtaku Omoya) is a single-story wooden dwelling and office with a partial basement, built in 1923 in Aza Itchome, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
This is where the Kai brewing family lived and kept the books. With a building area of 331 square meters it is the largest of the ten listings on the estate. It has a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) of pantiles (Sangawara-buki) and an unusually tall profile for a one-story house. It runs back from the shop storehouse on the street and links to the storehouse parlor at the west end, the buildings together wrapping around the garden.
The Former Kai Family Residence Main House went up halfway through the fourth Kai Kichigorō's rebuilding. Kitakata City's record says the old house was torn down only after the storehouse shells were standing; the family moved into temporary quarters, the new main house was built, and the storehouse interiors were finished last.
Why it was registered
It was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a central corridor (Naka-roka) with the entrance and the counting room (chōba) on its south side and tatami reception rooms on the north, and calls it a spacious main house fit for a leading local merchant.
The corridor splits the house in two: the south side for callers and business, the north side for family rooms. Laid out from east to west, the shop storehouse, the Former Kai Family Residence Main House and the storehouse parlor shift from trade at the street to hospitality at the back.
When it was built, the household is said to have included the fourth head and his wife with their five sons and one daughter, the fifth head and his wife with two children, a clerk, three storehouse workers and about three maids. Close to 20 people lived here, which helps explain the size and ceiling height of the house.
What to look for
Start with the counting room beside the entrance, where accounts from the shop were presumably settled; it is the hinge between business and home. The north rooms are the heart of the house, and the agency chose a view of the north tatami room for its registration photograph.
From outside, the ridge of the Former Kai Family Residence Main House stands surprisingly high for a single story. The south side opens onto the garden, in whose southwest corner the household Inari shrine stands. Part of the house has a basement level, recorded in the agency's structural description.
Visiting the Former Kai Family Residence Main House
The Former Kai Family Residence Main House sits behind the shop storehouse and can hardly be seen from the street. The estate has been closed since April 2023 for conservation work, and the house is not open.
Interiors can be seen only at the special openings held about once a year during the works; the next is planned for March 2027, with details to be announced by Kitakata City. What is shown depends on the stage of work, so entry to the main house is not guaranteed. Directions and the repair schedule are on the Former Kai Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Kai Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1923, as part of the fourth Kai Kichigorō's rebuilding of the estate, replacing an older house on the same site.
- What is the layout of the Former Kai Family Residence Main House?
- A central corridor has the entrance and counting room on the south and tatami rooms on the north. It joins the shop storehouse to the east and the storehouse parlor to the west around a garden.
- Can I go inside the Former Kai Family Residence Main House?
- Not normally. The estate has been closed since April 2023 for conservation work. Special openings are held about once a year, with the next planned for March 2027.
- Does the Former Kai Family Residence Main House have a basement?
- Yes. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a single-story wooden building with a partial basement.
- When was the Former Kai Family Residence Main House registered?
- On October 14, 2021, as a building contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kai Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 4611-1 Aza Itchome, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single story with partial basement, tiled roof, building area 331 m² |
| Owner | Kitakata City |
| Public Access | Closed since 2023 for conservation work planned through fiscal 2030; interior open only at special openings |
References
- Former Kai Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013930
- Former Kai Family Residence Main House (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/591930
- What is the Former Kai Family Kura Residence (Kitakata City)
- https://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/site/kyukaike/57980.html
- Conservation work on the Former Kai Family Kura Residence (Kitakata City)
- https://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/site/kyukaike/57982.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
