Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Hyogo

Kajiwara Family Residence Main House

Kajiwara Family Residence Main House: An 1853 Home With a 1906 Wing

Main house of a salt-field landowner in Oshio, Himeji: an 1853 irimoya-roofed block with a six-room plan, plus a 1906 reception wing. 435 m², registered in 2009.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Hyogo

About the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House

The Kajiwara Family Residence Main House (梶原家住宅主屋, Kajiwara-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is the principal dwelling of a salt-field landowning family in Oshio, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture; built in 1853 and extended with a new reception wing in 1906, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.

The main house sits squarely in the middle of a large plot on the south side of the street. With a building area of 435 square meters, it is by far the largest of the 20 registered structures on the Kajiwara estate.

Two Houses in One

Walk the length of the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House and you pass from one century into another. The western block is the original 1853 house, a timber building with a hip-and-gable (irimoya) roof of heavy round tiles (hongawarabuki) and a low attic storey known as tsushi-nikai. Because that attic is so low, the national register describes the whole structure as single-storey.

Inside, the plan follows a familiar pattern for large farmhouses and merchant homes: an earth-floored work area (doma) toward the west, and east of it a raised floor divided into six rooms, the rokumadori layout.

Attached to the east is a single-storey wing with a gabled roof, added in the Meiji era. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, this new reception wing holds rooms of fine quality, including a tea room and a 15-mat parlor. The older block ran the household; the newer one received guests.

Why It Was Registered

The Kajiwara Family Residence Main House was registered as a model of architectural form. Only four of the estate's 20 structures share that criterion: the main house and three buildings made for the tea ceremony.

The agency calls it a fine example of a large-scale residence. Its method of growth, a big irimoya-roofed core with a differently styled reception wing added alongside, reflects how a prosperous family built over generations.

The year 1906 matters here. It is when the reception wing was added, and also when the separate tea room, linked to the main house by a corridor, was built. The guest-facing side of the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House seems to have taken shape in that single campaign.

Seeing the Main House

The Kajiwara Family Residence Main House is a private home and is not open to the public. Standing at the center of the plot, behind the front gate, the forecourt and the north detached parlor, it is probably visible from the street only as part of a roofline; this has not been checked on site.

Please photograph only from the public road and do not enter the grounds. Directions to the estate are on the Kajiwara Family Residence (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

QWhen was the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House built?: AThe main block dates from 1853. The eastern reception wing was added in 1906.

QCan I go inside the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House?: ANo. It is a private residence and the interior is closed to the public. You can only view the exterior from the street.

QHow big is the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House?: AIt has a building area of 435 square meters, the largest of the 20 registered structures on the estate.

QWhat is the layout of the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House?: AAn earth-floored doma lies to the west, with a six-room rokumadori plan to its east. The Meiji-era wing adds a tea room and a 15-mat parlor.

QWhy is the Kajiwara Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?: AIt was registered in 2009 as a model of architectural form, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs regards it as a fine example of a large residence.

Basic Information

Name	Kajiwara Family Residence Main House
Location	457 Miyanomoto, Oshiocho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building)
Year Designated	2009 (registered)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Building area 435 m²
Owner	Private owner
Public Access	Not open to the public (private home; exterior from the street)