The hall that met the world
The front reception rooms of the Itohara house were the stage on which an ironmaster family met the outside world. Here the lord of Matsue was received, and later the poet Yosano Akiko and the statesman Konoe Fumimaro.
Built in the late Meiji era and partly remodelled in 1936 (Shōwa 11), the front zashiki (座敷) is a single-storey timber block of about 150 square metres, roofed mostly in metal sheeting with some tile. It stands at the formal, public side of the residence, where guests were led in for audiences and entertainment. The Itohara had held a rare standing under the Matsue domain: farmers by registration, yet granted a samurai rank, and their house served at times as the lord's honjin (本陣), his official lodging on the road.
Formality made in wood
Registered in February 2004 under the criterion for a model of design, the reception rooms show the restrained formality expected of a domain guest hall. The proportions of the tokonoma (床の間) alcove, the ordering of the sliding-screen rooms and the quality of the joinery all belong to a household versed in the tea gatherings and connoisseurship of its day. The Itohara collection preserves tea utensils linked to Matsudaira Fumai, the seventh Matsue lord and a celebrated tea master, a connection these rooms were built to honour.
Reading the reception rooms
Seen from the reception rooms, the garden reads as an extension of the interior: a strolling pond garden in the Izumo manner, laid out over decades on ground once worked for iron sand. Visitors move through this formal side of the house on the museum route. The rooms reward slow looking at the details that carpenters of the late Meiji and early Shōwa left in the woodwork rather than at any single grand feature.
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Q&A
- Who was received in these rooms?
- The Matsue lord during formal progresses, and later visitors including the poet Yosano Akiko and the politician Konoe Fumimaro.
- How old are they?
- The reception rooms date from the late Meiji era, with a partial remodelling in 1936.
- What is a honjin?
- An official lodging where a travelling lord and his retinue stayed; the Itohara house served in that role.
- What should I look at?
- The alcove proportions, the sequence of screen rooms, and the joinery, all shaped for formal reception.
- Are the rooms open?
- They are viewed as part of the Itohara Memorial Museum; interior access follows the museum's guidance.
Basic Information
| Name | Itohara Family Residence, Front Reception Rooms (絲原家住宅前座敷) |
|---|---|
| Location | Otani, Okuizumo, Nita District, Shimane (島根県仁多郡奥出雲町大谷856-1) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registered | 17 February 2004 |
| Registration no. | 32-0019 |
| Structure | Timber, single storey; metal-sheet roof with some tile; building area approx. 150 m² |
| Date | Late Meiji; partly remodelled 1936 |
| Registration criterion | Model of design |
| Owner | Privately owned (individual) |
| Access | Open as part of the Itohara Memorial Museum |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003910
- Itohara Memorial Museum — official site
- https://itoharas.com/
- Okuizumo Town — tourism guide
- https://okuizumo.org/jp/guide/detail/188/
- Shimane Kankō Navi — Itohara Memorial Museum
- https://www.kankou-shimane.com/destination/20282
Last verified: 2026.07.05