About the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse
The Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse (中村家住宅浴場, Nakamura-ke Jūtaku Yokujō) is a 1-story wooden bathhouse of about 1937 on the Nakamura family estate in Honcho 1-chome, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005.
The Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse stands along the south edge of the plot, against the west wall of the stone storehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives it as 2.9 m by 2.3 m, a building area of 6.2 square meters, so it is close to square and very small. It is the smallest of the seven registered buildings on the estate.
It has a Sangawara-buki tiled roof on an east-west ridge, which Kiryu City describes as hipped. Inside are three spaces: the bathroom, a changing room and a kamaba, the stoking area where the fire under the bath boiler was tended.
Why the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse was registered
The Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that its exterior forms a single composition with the stone storehouse and calls it an indispensable part of the estate layout.
Its tiled roof runs straight on into the roof of the stone storehouse to the east. Seen from the passage that leads in from the gate, the little bathhouse and the long storehouse read almost as one building.
The Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse and Kiryu's water supply
According to Kiryu City, the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse was built as a bathhouse from the start. Kiryu's municipal waterworks were completed in 1932, and mains were laid through Honcho 1-chome, where the Nakamuras lived. The bath was put in a separate building from the house and had running water from the day it opened.
It belongs to the same round of building, around 1937, as the document storehouse, new reception wing, stone storehouse and gate. Within a few years of the town water arriving, a plumbed bathhouse had become part of the family's new construction.
Small as it is, the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse divides its space carefully into bath, changing room and stoking area, and it records a moment when daily life in a Kiryu merchant house was changing.
Visiting the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse
The Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse is inside the gate, along the passage on the south side of the plot, and its interior is not open to the public. It lies behind the store and gate, so it can hardly be seen from Honcho-dori.
The area inside the gate is private, so please do not enter. The layout of the whole estate and directions are on the Nakamura Yaichi Shoten and Nakamura Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse
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Q&A
- When was the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse built?
- About 1937. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 10, 2005.
- What is inside the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse?
- A bathroom, a changing room and a stoking area for heating the bath water.
- Did the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse have running water?
- Yes. Kiryu's waterworks were completed in 1932 with mains in Honcho 1-chome, and Kiryu City records that the bathhouse had running water from the start.
- How large is the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse?
- It is 2.9 m by 2.3 m, with a building area of 6.2 square meters, the smallest of the seven registered buildings on the estate.
- Can I visit the Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse?
- No. The interior is closed, and because it stands inside the gate along the passage, it can hardly be seen from Honcho-dori.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse (中村家住宅浴場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-6-33 Honcho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005-11-10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2.9 m by 2.3 m, building area 6.2 square meters |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (inside the gate, hardly visible from the street) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004938
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nakamura Family Residence Bathhouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/140708
- Kiryu City: Nakamura Family Residence (Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Store) and six other buildings
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1002002.html
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nakamura Yaichi Shoten Stone Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004936
Last verified: 2026.10.06
