About the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House (Naka-Nishi-Kajiwara)
The Kajiwara Family Residence Main House (梶原家住宅主屋, Kajiwara-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is the principal dwelling of the Kajiwara Family Residence (Naka-Nishi-Kajiwara) in the Tenjin district of Oshio, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture; built in 1922 at the center of the plot, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.
Oshio has a second Kajiwara Family Residence, which Himeji City calls Nishi-Kajiwara, and it too has a registered main house, built in 1853. This page covers the 1922 main house in Tenjin.
A Gable-Entry Roof and Its Companions
The Kajiwara Family Residence Main House measures 17 by 13 meters, with a building area of 302 square meters. It is a timber house with a low attic storey (tsushi), under a principal hip-and-gable (irimoya) roof turned gable-end forward, a form known as tsumairi.
Around that main roof, smaller roofs cover the entrance, an upper-floor wing and the kitchen. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the many roofs added in a complex arrangement, together with the plastered-over exterior walls, give the house a dignified presence. The layered roofline is its defining feature.
The national register lists the structure as "single-storey, partly two-storey", while its commentary calls it a tsushi two-storey house. The two descriptions most likely treat the low attic as part of the ground floor and count only the upper wing as a true second storey.
Earthen Floor and Reception Rooms
The plan places an earth-floored doma at the east gable end, and along the north side, facing the garden, a sequence of reception rooms leads on from the entrance. Household work gathers to the east; guests are received on the garden side.
According to Himeji City, the ridge tag of the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House is dated "Taisho 11, eighth month, twentieth day" and names the carpenter Matani Bunkichi (間谷文吉, reading unconfirmed). Knowing both the date and the builder makes it a useful reference for regional houses of the Taisho era.
Northwest of the main house stands a storehouse built in 1842 and moved here in the late Taisho era. The house was built and the storehouse moved at nearly the same time, and together they appear to have set the form the estate has today. The main house was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Seeing the Main House
The Kajiwara Family Residence Main House is a private home, and there is no information that it accepts visitors. View it only from the road and do not enter the grounds. How much of the roofline shows from the street has not been checked on site.
Directions are on the Kajiwara Family Residence (Naka-Nishi-Kajiwara) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kajiwara Family Residence Main House
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House in Tenjin built?
- In 1922. Its ridge tag is dated the twentieth day of the eighth month of Taisho 11.
- Who built the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House in Tenjin?
- Himeji City reports that the ridge tag names the carpenter Matani Bunkichi; the reading of the name is unconfirmed.
- What is distinctive about the roof of the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House?
- A gable-entry hip-and-gable main roof with many smaller roofs added over the entrance, upper wing and kitchen.
- Is this the same building as the Nishi-Kajiwara main house?
- No. The Nishi-Kajiwara main house, in Miyanomoto, dates from 1853; this Kajiwara Family Residence Main House, in Tenjin, dates from 1922.
- Can I visit the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House in Tenjin?
- No public-access information was found. It is a private home, so please view it only from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Kajiwara Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 117-2 Tenjin, Oshiocho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2009 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 302 m² (17 m by 13 m) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Private home (no public-access information found) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: 梶原家住宅主屋 (Tenjin)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007773
- Himeji City: 梶原家住宅（中西梶原）主屋
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001823.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
