About the Ishido Family Residence Idoya
The Ishido Family Residence Idoya (石堂家住宅井戸屋, Ishidō-ke Jūtaku Idoya) is a tiny well house of the early Meiji period (1868–1882) standing south of the main house, near the Front Gate, on the Ishido estate in Ogaichi, Sayo Town, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2012.
An idoya is a small roofed shelter built over a well. The Ishido Family Residence Idoya measures 1.2 m by 0.7 m, an area of 0.9 m², the smallest of the nine registered structures on the estate. Inside its gabled (kirizuma) body roofed in copper (Dōban-buki) sits a well curb made of stone.
Small but carefully made
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Ishido Family Residence Idoya as a small but carefully built well house that conveys how the old family lived. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The sources disagree on its date. The Agency's database says early Meiji (1868–1882), while the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education list says late Meiji. This page follows the Agency.
What to look for
Look at the front. A gently curved karahafu gable projects from the front of the gabled body and covers the spot where water was drawn. The karahafu is a form usually reserved for temple and shrine entrances and gates, and here it caps a shelter barely a meter wide.
The location helps explain it. The Ishido Family Residence Idoya stands in the forecourt just inside the Front Gate, south of the main house, on the side of the estate that guests saw first. That may be why the family gave it such a dressed-up front.
Visiting the Ishido Family Residence Idoya
The Ishido Family Residence Idoya stands inside a private property and is not open to the public.
Because it is inside the Front Gate, we have not confirmed how much of it can be seen from the road. Do not peer in through the gate, and take photographs only from the public road.
Q&A
- What is the Ishido Family Residence Idoya?
- A small shelter over a well, with a stone well curb set inside a gabled, copper-roofed body.
- When was the Ishido Family Residence Idoya built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs says early Meiji (1868–1882). The Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education list says late Meiji, so the sources disagree.
- What is special about the Ishido Family Residence Idoya?
- The gently curved karahafu gable projecting from its front, which shelters the place where water was drawn.
- Why is the Ishido Family Residence Idoya a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2012 for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a small but carefully built well house that conveys how the old family lived.
- Can I see the Ishido Family Residence Idoya?
- It stands inside a private property and is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Ishido Family Residence Idoya (石堂家住宅井戸屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 823 Ogaichi, Sayo Town, Sayo District, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2012 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 1.2 m × 0.7 m (ketayuki × harima), area 0.9 m² |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; exterior from outside the grounds) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 石堂家住宅井戸屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009197
- Cultural Heritage Online: 石堂家住宅井戸屋
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/248490
Last verified: 2026.10.01
