East Wall and Gate of the Retirement House, Hirao Family Residence
The Hirao were among the foremost landowners of Tajima, serving as great village headmen through the Edo period. Their residence in the Morio district of Toyooka spreads across about 4,000 square metres and holds some twenty buildings, from the 1896 main house down to storehouses raised in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the whole compound built up and handed on across generations.
The Structure Itself
This wall runs from the west end of the detached quarters' north wall to the east face of the retirement house, the inkyo-ya where the family's elder generation lived apart from the working household. A gabled pantile bracket gate, 1.6 metres wide, is set toward the retirement-house end, and the wall's ridge is kept a step lower than the north wall it meets.
Square posts rise at one-metre intervals from a sill on cut-stone footing, with a horizontal tie beam, or nuki, run through them at door-head height. Below the beam the wall is boarded vertically; above it, the wall is left open. That open upper register gives the whole run a light, permeable feel, an easy screen rather than a solid barrier.
Why It Was Registered
The estate was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2008, recognising how completely the framework of a great landowner's compound, its main house, quarters, storehouses, walls and waterworks, survives here as a single ensemble. Each registered element earns its place less as a solitary monument than as one part of that larger, coherent whole.
Seeing It Today
The Hirao Family Residence remains a private home and is, as a rule, not open to the public. Visitors should not expect interior access, and the family's privacy asks for a respectful distance. The exterior and its river setting can be appreciated from the public road nearby, and travellers to this corner of Tajima can pair a passing look with the region's more accessible sights: the willow-lined hot-spring town of Kinosaki Onsen, the old castle town of Izushi with its soba and clock tower, and the columnar basalt cliffs of Genbudo Park along the Maruyama River.
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Q&A
- Can I go inside the Hirao Family Residence?
- No. The residence is privately owned and generally closed to the public. You can view its exterior and river setting from the adjacent public road, but please respect the residents' privacy.
- What is an inkyo-ya (retirement house)?
- It is a separate dwelling on the estate where the retired head of the family and the elder generation lived, apart from the working household of the main house. The lower, more open wall here suits its quieter, more private character.
- How old is this part of the estate?
- It dates to the mid-Meiji period (1868–1911). The estate as a whole was built up across generations, from Edo-period storehouses through the 1896 main house to early-Showa additions, so its elements span more than a century.
- What else can I see nearby?
- Toyooka offers Kinosaki Onsen for its hot springs, the castle town of Izushi for soba and historic streets, and Genbudo Park for its dramatic columnar basalt, all within easy reach of the Morio district.
Basic Information
| Name | East Wall and Gate of the Retirement House, Hirao Family Residence (平尾家住宅隠居屋東塀及び門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 958 Ando, Morio, Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registered | 7 March 2008 (gazetted 19 March 2008) |
| Count | 1棟 |
| Structure | East wall: timber, sheet-iron roof, 8.6 m; gate: timber, tiled, 1.6 m wide |
| Period | mid-Meiji period (1868–1911) |
| Ownership / Access | Privately owned; not open to the public |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs — 平尾家住宅隠居屋東塀及び門
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006920
- Cultural Heritage Online — Main House, Hirao Family Residence
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/186783
- The Tajima (Tajima Encyclopedia) — Hirao Family Residence
- https://the-tajima.com/spot/393/
Last verified: 2026.07.02