What Is the Kato Family Residence Main House?
The Kato Family Residence Main House (加藤家住宅主屋, Katō-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is the central dwelling of a merchant family's compound in Aboshi-ku Yokohama, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture; it was built in 1862 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2009.
It stands in the middle of the plot on an east-west axis, 23 meters long and 14 meters deep. The house is single-storey timber with a partial second floor and covers 279 square meters, making it the largest of the eight registered buildings. It was altered twice during the Meiji period, once early and once late.
Why the Kato Family Residence Main House Was Registered
The Kato Family Residence Main House was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. Himeji City describes the Kato family as freight carriers in the Edo period who later took up soy sauce brewing, among other trades, and this was the house the family lived in.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the roof. On a building this size, a single sweep of tile can look flat and heavy. Here the roofline is dropped in two places, so the house keeps its weight without becoming monotonous. That a late-Edo dwelling still holds the center of the compound after its Meiji alterations is part of its value as a landscape anchor.
What to Look for at the Kato Family Residence Main House
The roof is Irimoya-zukuri, a hip-and-gable form, finished in the Shikoro-buki manner with a mix of round-and-flat hongawara tiles and simpler sangawara pan tiles. In shikoro-buki the upper and lower slopes meet at a visible step, so the roof seems to break partway down, like the neck guard of a samurai helmet that gives the technique its name.
The variety in the outline comes from Ochimune, places where the ridge is set lower than the main one. At the Kato Family Residence Main House this is done over the Kami-no-ma, the best corner reception room, and over the area behind the Doma earthen-floored work space. Because these lower roofs attach to the sides of the main mass, the silhouette changes as you move around it.
Inside, the western part is the doma, while the raised floor follows a nine-room plan built around a grid of three rooms by three, a layout used in larger traditional houses. A Shikidai formal entrance sits at the center of the front, directly opposite the opening of the Nagayamon Gate on the south edge of the plot.
Visiting the Kato Family Residence Main House
The Kato Family Residence Main House is a private residence and its interior is not open to the public. Since it sits in the middle of the property behind a 20-meter gatehouse, there is little of it to see from the street.
The stepped roof and the lowered ridges are clearer in the photographs on the Agency for Cultural Affairs database than from outside the walls. If you visit, stay off the property and settle for a glimpse of the roof. Directions and visiting notes are on the page for the Kato Family Residence as a whole.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kato Family Residence Main House
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Kato Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1862. It was altered twice during the Meiji period, once in its early years and once toward the end.
- How big is the Kato Family Residence Main House?
- It measures 23 meters by 14 meters and covers 279 square meters. It is single-storey with a partial second floor and is the largest of the eight registered buildings.
- What is special about the roof of the Kato Family Residence Main House?
- It is a hip-and-gable roof finished in the stepped shikoro-buki style with two kinds of tile. The ridge is lowered over the Kami-no-ma corner room and behind the earthen-floored doma, giving a heavy but varied outline.
- What is the floor plan of the Kato Family Residence Main House?
- The western part is an earthen-floored doma. The raised rooms follow a nine-room plan based on a three-by-three grid, with a shikidai formal entrance at the center of the front facing the gate.
- Can visitors go inside the Kato Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and the interior is not open. Because it stands in the middle of the property, it is also hard to see from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Kato Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 53-1 Aboshi-ku Yokohama, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 279 m² (23 m by 14 m) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kato Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007514
- Himeji City: Kato Family Residence Main House (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001718.html
- Himeji City: List of Registered Cultural Properties (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001691.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
