A Farmhouse Facing South at the Back of the Plot
The Isaji Family Residence Main House (伊佐治家住宅主屋, Isaji-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a late Edo-period farmhouse in Furuyashiki, Mitake Town, Gifu Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on May 10, 2018. Single-storey, timber-framed and roofed in Sangawara-buki pan tiles, it covers 210 square metres, which makes it the largest of the five registered buildings on the estate. A projecting middle gate, or chūmon, is attached.
The house stands at the rear of a west-facing plot with its front turned to the south. A broad gabled roof covers the core of the building, and a lower lean-to roof, the Geya, wraps around it, so that from the front the roofline steps down in two distinct tiers.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the building to the late Edo period, with alterations toward the end of that era. Family records name Kichibei, who died in 1835, as the man who built its core, and say that under his successor Tōzaburō the thatch was taken off and replaced with tile. Between the house as first raised and the one standing now lies at least one major campaign of work.
The Yotsudate Frame and Two Rows of Rooms
The plan is easy to read. The western half is an open Doma, the earth-floored work and kitchen space found in every traditional Japanese farmhouse. The eastern half is raised and floored, with rooms set out in two rows. At the upper end are two formal Zashiki rooms, each edged front and back by a tatami-floored strip; at the lower end, nearer the doma, four rooms handled the household's daily life.
Structurally the house follows the yotsudate system seen in farmhouses of this part of Gifu. Four principal posts stand around the large central room and carry a double tier of beams, and the family's own website singles this out as the defining feature of the Isaji Family Residence Main House.
In the doma that frame is on full view, heavy posts and beams carrying the roof overhead. The Agency's citation praises exactly this, describing the Isaji Family Residence Main House as a fine early modern farmhouse with a massive exposed frame in its work area, and it was registered under the criterion of being a model of form.
What to Look For
The timber frame over the doma is the main event. Four posts and doubled beams lock together overhead with a rough, muscular energy that contrasts with the finished rooms on the other side of the house, a reminder of what this half of the building was for.
Outside, watch the roofs. The big gable and the lean-to beneath it give a single-storey house surprising bulk.
The reception wing joins the main house at its southeast corner, and the storehouse stands directly behind the doma to the north. The Isaji Family Residence Main House is the hinge between the building for guests and the building for stores. Its middle gate is no afterthought either: the official record describes the house as having one.
Visiting
The Isaji Family Residence Main House is part of a private home, and its interior is not open to the public. Set at the back of the plot, it is also hard to see properly from outside. The only realistic chances to stand in the doma or look into the formal rooms are 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 Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, with alterations toward the end of that era. Family records credit Kichibei, who died in 1835, with building its core, and say the thatched roof was replaced with tile under his successor Tōzaburō.
- Why is the Isaji Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on May 10, 2018, as a model of form. The citation praises it as a fine early modern farmhouse built on the local yotsudate frame, with a massive timber structure left exposed in the earth-floored work area.
- What is the yotsudate frame in the Isaji Family Residence Main House?
- It is a local farmhouse structure in which four principal posts stand around the large central room and carry a double tier of beams. In this house the frame can be seen in the doma.
- How large is the Isaji Family Residence Main House, and how is it laid out?
- It is a single-storey tiled farmhouse with a building area of 210 square metres. The western half is an earth-floored doma; the eastern half holds two rows of rooms, with two formal zashiki at the upper end and four rooms at the lower end.
- Can visitors go inside the Isaji Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and the interior is not open to the public. As of September 2026 no regular opening had been announced; anyone hoping to visit should contact the family through their website.
Basic Information
| Name | Isaji Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| 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 210 square metres, with chūmon |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | No regular public access (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Isaji Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012365
- 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
