Takiguchi Family Residence Main House
The Takiguchi Family Residence Main House (瀧口家住宅主屋, Takiguchi-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a two-storey timber house in Haruta-cho, Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, built in 1913 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 March 2018.
With a building area of 386 square metres under a tiled roof, it is the largest of the nine registered structures on the Takiguchi estate. A formal entrance with a raised Shikidai step sits at the centre of the facade, opening onto a broad earth-floored Doma and eight raised rooms. The gatehouse and clinic on the north side of the property went up around 1902, so the main house followed the opening of the family's medical practice by roughly a decade.
Why the Takiguchi Main House Was Registered
Of the nine Takiguchi structures, only the Takiguchi Family Residence Main House was registered under the criterion of serving as a model of form and design. The other eight qualified as contributors to the historic landscape. In other words, the main house was judged on the merits of its own architecture, not only as part of a larger ensemble.
The official description points to two things. The first is the plan: formal Zashiki reception rooms at the front, private family rooms at the back, and a second-floor zashiki reserved for the family. The second is the finish: a curved Kōryō tie beam over the formal entrance, projecting lattice windows on the facade, and decorative alcove fittings in the reception rooms that show the carpenters at their best.
What to Look for at the Takiguchi Main House
A plan split between public and private
Guests were received in the front rooms; the household lived behind them. Putting the family's own reception room upstairs kept the ground-floor front rooms free for visitors. For a doctor's household, with a steady flow of callers, that front-and-back division was a practical answer to where public life ended and private life began.
The koryo beam and lattice windows
The feature to seek out on the Takiguchi Family Residence Main House is the koryo over the entrance, a gently arched ornamental beam borrowed from temple and shrine carpentry. Together with the projecting lattice windows, it concentrates the house's decoration on the face it showed to arriving visitors.
The house at the centre of the estate
The main house stands in the middle of the grounds. A middle gate and side wall run between it and the gatehouse to the north, dividing the entrance court from the garden. To the west, a corridor leads to the guest hall of around 1926; off the south wing, a veranda links to the storeroom.
Visiting the Takiguchi Family Residence Main House
The Takiguchi Family Residence Main House remains a private home, and no public opening of the interior is listed by the national database or Shobara City. Because it stands in the centre of the walled grounds, little of it can be seen from outside. Stay on the public road and do not enter the gates.
If you take photographs, keep to exteriors shot from the street and avoid residents or visitors. Directions to the estate and general visiting notes are on the Takiguchi Family Residence page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Takiguchi Family Residence Main House
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Q&A
- When was the Takiguchi Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1913, about ten years after the estate's gatehouse and clinic were completed around 1902.
- Can I go inside the Takiguchi Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and there is no published interior opening. Please view it only from the public road.
- Why is the Takiguchi Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It is the only one of the nine Takiguchi structures registered as a model of form and design, recognised for its front-and-back plan, the koryo beam and lattice windows at the entrance, and the craftsmanship of its reception rooms.
- How large is the Takiguchi Family Residence Main House?
- It is a 2-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 386 square metres, containing a large earth-floored doma and eight raised rooms.
- Is photography allowed at the Takiguchi Family Residence Main House?
- Only of the exterior from the public road. Do not enter the grounds, and keep residents and passers-by out of your shots.
Basic Information
| Name | Takiguchi Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Iwami, Haruta-cho, Shobara City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/3/27 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 386 square metres |
| Owner | Private (owner not disclosed) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 瀧口家住宅主屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012237
- Cultural Heritage Online: 瀧口家住宅主屋
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/365127
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Council recommendation on new Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/r1392281_21.pdf
- Shobara City, Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.shobara.hiroshima.jp/main/education/shogaigakushu/cat02/02/post_192.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
