Umeda Family Residence (Kakamigahara)

The Umeda Family Residence in Unuma-juku

The Umeda Family Residence (Kakamigahara), 梅田家住宅, is a townhouse property on the old Nakasendo highway at Unuma Nishimachi, Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture; its main house of 1868 and an annex at the back of the lot were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on November 29, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency describes the main house as a survival that keeps the atmosphere of the post town, and the annex as a building with an unusual plan that puts a storehouse, a gateway and a reception room into one block. Kakamigahara City named both Landscape Important Buildings on May 30, 2007.

Immediately to the east, at lot 1-530, stands the Umeda Family Residence (Myogaya), the house of the family who ran the Myogaya hatago, a lodging house for highway travellers, in the Edo period; its main house, annex and storehouse are registered separately. Because both properties carry the same registered name, this page adds the city name and calls this one the Umeda Family Residence (Kakamigahara).

How the Two Buildings Sit on the Lot

The lot of the Umeda Family Residence (Kakamigahara) runs through from the old Nakasendo on the north to another road on the south. The main house faces the Nakasendo with its eaves in line with its neighbours, while the annex faces the road along the back of the lot (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Kakamigahara City), so the property presents a front to each street.

Both were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The sources differ on the annex: the Agency's registration data date it to 1868, while the city's description of its Landscape Important Buildings gives 1892. The structure and details of each building are described on its own page.

Visiting the Umeda Family Residence (Kakamigahara)

The Umeda Family Residence (Kakamigahara) is a private home, and Kakamigahara City notes that none of the old townhouses here are open inside. The main house can be seen from the old Nakasendo and the annex from the road on the south side of the lot.

According to the city, the Nakasendo Unuma-juku Machiya-kan, a museum in the middle of the post town, is a 15-minute walk from Unuma-juku Station on the Meitetsu Kakamigahara Line and a 20-minute walk from JR Unuma Station on the Takayama Main Line or from Meitetsu Shin-Unuma Station. The main house of the Umeda Family Residence (Kakamigahara) is about 160 metres west of the Machiya-kan along the road, on the south side, next door to the Myogaya house. The Machiya-kan is free and opens from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closing on Mondays and some other days (as of November 2026).