Ae Family Residence

The Ae Family Residence and Its Five Registered Buildings

The Ae Family Residence (阿江家住宅, Ae-ke Jūtaku) is a house of about 1948 at 590 Shimotakino, Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture, whose Main House South and East Wings, Main House Northwest Wing and Inner Storehouse were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on June 28, 2017, followed by the Tool Storehouse and Rice Storehouse on June 24, 2021.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates all five buildings to around 1948. That places the whole compound, from the living quarters to the storehouses, only about three years after the end of the Second World War. Kato City lists the owner as a private individual.

The registrations came in two rounds. In the 87th round in 2017, the two main-house wings and the inner storehouse entered the national register as Nos. 28-0663 to 28-0665; in the 99th round in 2021, the tool and rice storehouses followed as Nos. 28-0765 and 28-0766. The grounds for listing differ too. The first three were recognized as buildings that have become a model of design, and the later two as buildings that contribute to the historic landscape. In other words, the Ae Family Residence was valued first for the quality of its house and inner storehouse, and later for the way its two storehouses stand side by side. For what registration means, see Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

Where the Ae Family Residence Stands

The Agency describes the site as lying beside the Kakogawa River in the northwest of the town, and its note on the tool storehouse calls the same area the old town centre of Takino. Takino became a town in 1925 and merged with Yashiro and Tojo on March 20, 2006 to form Kato City, so by the time of registration the Ae Family Residence was already within Kato.

Takino Station on the JR Kakogawa Line lies roughly 500 meters north of the house in a straight line, close enough to walk from the station forecourt into the old town.

On the neighbouring plot to the west, at 593-3 Yasui, Shimotakino, stand six buildings of Ae Handkerchief, including its old factory, inspection sheds and former dormitory. They were registered on June 28, 2017, the same day as the first three Ae Family Residence buildings. The old factory dates from 1911, and Kato City's heritage pages cross-link the two sets of buildings.

How the Five Buildings Are Arranged

Pieced together from the Agency's notes, the Ae Family Residence is laid out like this:

• South: the Main House South and East Wings form an L. The entrance faces west, the south wing holds the reception room, guest room, family room and kitchen in a row, and the east wing turns north to take the tatami rooms and the Buddhist altar room
• Northwest of the main house: the Main House Northwest Wing, a separate single-storey block of four tatami rooms, is reached from the south and east wings by a covered corridor
• North end of the east wing: the Inner Storehouse, a two-storey earthen storehouse 4.9 meters square, is attached directly to the main house
• North: the Tool Storehouse faces south toward the main house, and the Rice Storehouse stands to its west at almost the same size and in the same form; each is a single-storey earthen storehouse with a building area of 68 square meters

Living quarters to the south, storage to the north, with both detached storehouses fronting the house. Add up the building areas (209, 58, 39, 68 and 68 square meters) and the five registered buildings of the Ae Family Residence cover 442 square meters.

Names and Readings at the Ae Family Residence

The family name 阿江 is read Ae, and the Agency's readings for all five entries begin "Ae-ke jūtaku." The inner storehouse is an uchigura and the rice storehouse a komegura. Sources split on the tool storehouse: the Agency's database gives dōgukura, while Kato City gives dōgugura.

Note also that the main house was registered not as one property but as two, the south and east wings and the northwest wing. They are joined by a corridor, but they were built differently and treated as separate buildings.

Visiting the Ae Family Residence

The Ae Family Residence is a privately owned house. Kato City's heritage pages mark each building as open to the public, but give no dates, hours or booking method. If you hope to enter the grounds or see inside, contact the cultural properties section of the Kato City Board of Education in advance (phone 0795-48-3046).

Without an arrangement, keep to the street and view the exterior only. Do not step inside the gate or walk up to the storehouses, and when taking photographs, avoid pointing the camera at people or windows.

By rail, get off at Takino Station on the JR Kakogawa Line and walk south. The distance on the map is about 500 meters, or roughly a 10-minute walk. No parking for visitors to the Ae Family Residence is advertised.