About the Kawai Family Residence Main House
The Kawai Family Residence Main House (河合家住宅主屋, Kawai-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a farmhouse built in 1805 in Ichishima, Hachiman-cho, Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 28, 2000. It was the home of the Kawai family, who served as Shōya (village headmen) for the district, and it anchors the compound together with the east and west storehouses registered on the same day.
The Kawai main house is a 2-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a footprint of 291 square meters. It measures about 12.5 ken by 6.5 ken, or about 23 by 12 meters. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives a precise date, the second year of the Bunka era, which is 1805.
Why the Main House Was Registered
The Kawai Family Residence Main House was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. A headman's house of the late Edo period still stands with its two storehouses in front of it, and together they shape the look of this valley settlement.
The Agency's description singles out four points: the earth-floored area at the east end, the stable projecting from the south front, the upper floor designed for silkworms, and the carved brackets under the south eave. The first three are farm life and farm work turned into building form. The last shows a headman's family spending care on the face of its house.
What to Notice
The doma and the stable
The east end of the Kawai main house is a Doma, an earth-floored space for work and cooking, with the raised, floored rooms filling the rest of the plan. A stable projects from the south side, a reminder that cattle or horses were once kept under the same roof as the family.
An upper floor for silkworms
The Agency describes the upper floor as open in design with silkworm rearing in mind. Silkworms need broad floors and plenty of air, so the space was kept largely free of partitions. Whether it was built this way in 1805 or altered later is not stated in the sources consulted.
Carved brackets on the south front
The feature the Agency says received special care is the set of Mochiokuri brackets that carry the Geya lean-to eave along the south side. They are cut with curved, molded profiles. Brackets of this kind take the weight of an eave; shaping them this way lifts the standing of the side of the house that faces visitors. From outside, the south eave is the first place to look.
Seeing the Kawai Family Residence Main House
The Kawai Family Residence Main House is not open to the public, and the interior cannot be entered. The doma, the stable and the silkworm floor are not on view; only the exterior can be seen from the public road.
From the road, the south lean-to eave and the projecting stable are the parts to pick out. Take photographs from the road and do not step onto the property. Directions to the compound are on the Kawai Family Residence (Gujo) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Kawai Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1805, in the late Edo period.
- Why is the Kawai Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- As the house of a village headman's family that still stands with its two storehouses, it was judged to contribute to the historic landscape. It was registered on April 28, 2000.
- How large is the Kawai Family Residence Main House?
- It is a 2-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a footprint of 291 square meters, about 12.5 by 6.5 ken, or roughly 23 by 12 meters.
- What was the upper floor of the Kawai main house used for?
- The Agency describes it as an open floor designed with silkworm rearing in mind.
- Can I go inside the Kawai Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is not open to the public. The exterior can be seen from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Kawai Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 1545 Ichishima, Hachiman-cho, Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered April 28, 2000 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof; footprint 291 square meters |
| Owner | Unknown (the Agency's owner field is blank) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the public road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kawai Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001613
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kawai Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/181523
Last verified: 2026.10.03
