Waiting room for attendants
The Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House (平尾家住宅供待) in Morio, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, is the building where visitors' attendants waited, built in the late Edo period and renovated in 2003, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 7, 2008 (number 28-0314).
The Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House is a 2-storey building southwest of the main house where the attendants of visiting officials and notables waited while their masters did business. A headman's household received such callers often enough to need a separate building near the front of the house.
The livestock barn reaches it from the north, the ash shed stands to its south, and the pump shed lies to the southwest.
Six bays in three rooms
The Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House is gabled and pantiled on a north-south ridge, with a pent roof over the east front. It measures 6 bays by 2, with a building area of 44 m².
Inside it is divided lengthwise into 3: an 8-mat room with an alcove at the south end, storage and a lavatory at the north end, and the entrance in the middle. Only the east front is open.
Framing the main house front
The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with framing the approach to the main house. The alcoved room suggests that some attendants, at least, were received with a degree of ceremony.
Visiting
The Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House is north of the river and not open; it is barely visible from the road.
The story of the estate, what can be seen from the road and directions are on the Hirao Family Residence page.
Q&A
- Where is the Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House?
- North of the Morio River, southwest of the main house.
- When was the Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House registered as a cultural property?
- On March 7, 2008, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 28-0314. It dates from the late Edo period, renovated in 2003.
- What is a tomomachi, like the Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House?
- A waiting house where the attendants of visitors stayed while their masters were received.
- How big is the Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House?
- A 2-storey timber building of 6 bays by 2, with a building area of 44 m².
- Can visitors see the Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House?
- No; it is closed and barely visible from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House (平尾家住宅供待) |
|---|---|
| Location | 958 Ando, Morio, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 28-0314 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/03/07 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof; building area 44 m² |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006890
- Cultural Heritage Online — Hirao Family Residence Tomomachi Waiting House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/172192
- Tajima Encyclopedia (Tanshin Regional Promotion Fund) — Hirao Family Residence
- https://tanshin-kikin.jp/tajima/568
Last verified: 2026.10.02
