The Smallest Building on the Akagi Estate
The Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse (赤木家住宅番人小屋, Akagi-ke Jūtaku Banningoya) is a single-storey timber hut from the mid-Meiji period, standing beside the front gate of the Akagi estate at 972 Hikino in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 March 2006.
Along the east side of the property, three buildings run in a line from south to north: the east workshop, the front gate, and this hut. Anyone passing through the gate did so under the eye of whoever sat inside.
It measures 1 and a half bays by 1 bay, with a building area of just 6.0 square metres. Of the 16 structures registered here on the same day, it is the smallest with a recorded floor area.
A Hipped Roof and a Window on the Road
Every storehouse, gate and wing registered at the Akagi Family Residence has a gabled roof. The guardhouse alone has a hipped roof, its pantiles sloping down on all four sides, which gives the little building the tidy, capped look of a sentry box.
The door opens on the west, toward the inside of the compound. The east wall, facing the road, has a lattice window instead: the watch was kept on the street, and the way in was from within.
The lower walls are vertical boards; above them, plaster fills the spaces between the posts in the shinkabe manner, so the frame shows on the outside.
A Household That Kept a Gatekeeper
According to Tajima no Hyakka Jiten, a regional encyclopedia, the Akagi family served for generations as ōjōya, the headmen responsible for a group of villages. A post for a gatekeeper beside the entrance suits a house that saw a steady flow of callers.
The front gate stands 0.9 metres above the road on stone steps, and the Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse sits at its north shoulder. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as part of the formal face of the house, and it was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Seeing the Guardhouse
The Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse abuts the north side of the front gate, and its lattice window faces out toward the road. The four-way eaves and the boarded lower walls are easy to pick out from there.
The residence is a family home and is generally closed to the public, and no opening of the hut's interior has been announced. Photography rules are not published, so ask when you visit.
Directions and the terms for visiting the property are on the Akagi Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on 2 March 2006, together with the main house, the front gate and the rest of the 16 registered structures.
- How big is the Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse?
- It measures 1 and a half bays by 1 bay, with a building area of 6.0 square metres, the smallest recorded floor area among the registered buildings of the residence.
- What kind of roof does the Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse have?
- A hipped roof laid with pantiles. It is the only registered building at the residence with a hipped roof; the others are gabled.
- Where is the Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse?
- At 972 Hikino, Toyooka City, on the east side of the estate, directly north of the front gate. Its door faces into the compound and its lattice window faces the road.
- Can you go inside the Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse?
- No opening of the interior has been announced, and the residence is generally closed. Check the Akagi Family Residence page for the terms of a visit.
Basic Information
| Name | Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse (赤木家住宅番人小屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 972 Hikino, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/02 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, hipped roof, pantiled; 1 and a half by 1 bays; building area 6.0 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the ACA database |
| Public Access | No announced interior opening; residence generally closed |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse (赤木家住宅番人小屋)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005321
- Cultural Heritage Online: Akagi Family Residence Guardhouse (赤木家住宅番人小屋)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/196319
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Akagi Family Residence Front Gate (赤木家住宅表門)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005322
- Tajima no Hyakka Jiten (Tanshin Regional Promotion Fund): Akagi Family Residence (赤木家住宅)
- https://tanshin-kikin.jp/tajima/564
Last verified: 2026.09.26
