About the Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room
The Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room (梶原家住宅管理人部屋, Kajiwara-ke Jūtaku Kanrinin-beya) is a small dwelling of around 1897 on the northern edge of the Kajiwara estate in Oshio, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.
The Caretaker's Room stands between the corner storehouse and the front gate. It is a single-storey timber building running east to west under a gabled pantiled roof, with a building area of 15 square meters.
An Irregular Five-Mat Room
The Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room is trapezoidal in plan. Inside is a single tatami room of five mats in an irregular shape, with a closet. The room's odd outline probably follows the line of the northern boundary.
The ridge is kept low, and the ceiling inside is a funazoko-tenjo, shaped like an upturned boat hull: high along the center and sloping to each side. It gives the low building more headroom than its exterior suggests.
A small gabled toilet, also pantiled, is attached on the east side. Compact as it is, the building has everything needed to live in.
Watching Over the Front
The Caretaker's Room sits just west of the front gate. A room beside the gate suggests someone keeping an eye on comings and goings and on the house when the family was away, though no record of who actually lived here has been found.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room as one of the buildings that make up the estate's frontage. With the corner storehouse to the west and the front gate to the east, it forms the face the estate presents to the northern street. The criterion applied was its contribution to the historic landscape.
Seeing the Caretaker's Room
The Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room is part of a private home and is not open to the public. Standing beside the front gate on the northern edge, part of its roof or wall may be visible from the street, though this has not been checked on site.
Please photograph only from the public road. Directions are on the Kajiwara Family Residence (Nishi-Kajiwara) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room
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Q&A
- When was the Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room built?
- Around 1897. Its registration dates from 2009.
- Where is the Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room?
- On the northern edge of the estate, between the corner storehouse and the front gate.
- What is inside the Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room?
- A single irregular five-mat tatami room with a closet, under a boat-hull ceiling.
- Does the Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room have a toilet?
- Yes, a small gabled toilet is attached on the east side.
- Can I visit the Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room?
- No. It belongs to a private home that does not admit visitors.
Basic Information
| Name | Kajiwara Family Residence Caretaker's Room |
|---|---|
| Location | 457 Miyanomoto, Oshiocho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2009 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 15 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; exterior from the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: 梶原家住宅管理人部屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007909
- Himeji City: 梶原家住宅（西梶原）管理人部屋
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001764.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
