A Guest Wing of 1850, Joined to the Main House
The Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing (伊佐治家住宅上座敷, Isaji-ke Jūtaku Kamizashiki) is a suite of formal guest rooms built in 1850 in Furuyashiki, Mitake Town, Gifu Prefecture, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on May 10, 2018. Single-storey and tile-roofed, with a building area of 92 square metres, it is attached to the southeast corner of the main house and runs north-south.
Kamizashiki means, roughly, the upper or best rooms. Where the main house has a plain gable, the Kamizashiki carries a hip-and-gable irimoya roof, a small signal that this was the building for guests rather than for work. The family also knows it as Kiōken, and a framed plaque bearing that name, brushed by the calligrapher Murase Taiitsu, hangs above the sliding doors.
The rooms were used as intended. Family records note that a memorial lecture for the Meiji Emperor was held here in 1912, the year of his death.
Sold, Moved and Brought Home
The Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing once left the estate. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records two relocations, in 1887 and 1912.
Family records fill in the story. In 1887, as the household put its finances in order, the reception wing was sold to a man named Kani Heisuke of nearby Fushimi and taken away. It was later bought back and joined once more to the main house. The family dates the repurchase to 1910, two years earlier than the Agency's second relocation date of 1912. The purchase and the rebuilding may simply have happened in different years, but which date belongs to the construction work has not been confirmed here.
Through both moves the rooms kept their original arrangement, and the building was registered, like the main house, as a model of form.
Two Ten-Mat Rooms and a Biwa Alcove
Inside, two ten-mat rooms, each with a Tokonoma display alcove, lie end to end on a north-south line. The south room has its own Shikidai, a formal entrance porch under a small gabled roof on the west side. A separate formal entry like this set the reception wing apart from the family's everyday comings and goings. Along the south side a corridor runs past the garden, and beyond it an open wooden veranda projects outward.
The north room uses a biwa-doko for its side alcove: a low raised shelf beside the tokonoma, named, it is said, for the biwa lute once displayed on such a ledge. It is a light, playful touch associated with the sukiya style of tea-influenced architecture.
So the south room carries the formality and the north room the ease. The Agency's citation describes the Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing in just those terms, as a refined guest wing that pairs dignity with sukiya refinement.
What to Look For
The garden front is the building's true face. The irimoya roof, the corridor and veranda along the south side, and the little gable of the entrance porch jutting to the west come together in one elevation. The family's website describes a view from these rooms across a raised garden with a dry landscape.
Indoors, take in the entrance porch of the south room and then the biwa alcove of the north room, one after the other, and the building changes character before your eyes. Look up, too, for the Kiōken plaque.
Visiting
The Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing is part of a private home, and its interior is not open to the public. It stands inside the gate, joined to the southeast corner of the main house, so it is hard to see from outside the property. Seeing the rooms or the garden would require a visit arranged with the family or an occasion when the estate is opened for an event. Directions and general visiting conditions are covered on the Isaji Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1850. It also records relocations in 1887 and 1912.
- Why did the Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing leave the estate?
- According to family records, it was sold in 1887 to Kani Heisuke of Fushimi when the household reorganised its finances, then later bought back and rejoined to the main house. The family dates the repurchase to 1910; the Agency's relocation date is 1912.
- What is the biwa alcove in the Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing?
- It is a low raised shelf beside the tokonoma, said to be named for the biwa lute once displayed on it. Here it forms the side alcove of the north room.
- Why is the Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on May 10, 2018, as a model of form. The citation highlights how it combines the formality of a dedicated entrance porch with sukiya touches such as the biwa alcove.
- Can visitors see inside the Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing?
- No. It is part of a private home and is not open to the public. As of September 2026 no regular opening had been announced; inquiries can be made through the family's website.
Basic Information
| Name | Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki Reception Wing |
|---|---|
| Location | 381 Daioji, Furuyashiki, Mitake-cho, Kani-gun, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/5/10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single-storey, tiled roof, building area 92 square metres |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | No regular public access (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Isaji Family Residence Kamizashiki
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012366
- Gifu Prefecture: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures)
- https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/page/12417.html
- Isaji Family Residence (family website)
- https://isaji-yashiki.jimdofree.com/
- Isaji Family Residence: Buildings
- https://isaji-yashiki.jimdofree.com/%E5%B1%8B%E6%95%B7/%E5%BB%BA%E7%89%A9/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
