About the Kozuki Family Residence Main House
The Kozuki Family Residence Main House (上月家住宅主屋, Kōzuki-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a timber house built in 1930 in Bozumachi, Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 25, 2011.
Of the seven registered buildings on the Kozuki property, this is the one everything else hangs on. It stands near the centre of the plot and covers 223 square metres: a two-storey core with single-storey wings pushed out to the east and south.
The two-storey block runs east to west under a hip-and-gable roof (Irimoya-zukuri) laid with interlocking pan tiles (Sangawara-buki). A single-storey kitchen and family room extend from its east end, and from there an entrance hall and a Western-style room project south, each under its own small hip-and-gable roof. The plan seems to keep daily life toward the back and to the east, while the rooms that greet visitors face the front.
Why the Kozuki Family Residence Main House Was Registered
The Kozuki Family Residence Main House was registered for its contribution to the historic townscape. Its walls are built in the Shinkabe manner, with the timber posts left exposed, and the bays between them are opened wide so the rooms look straight out onto the garden that surrounds the house.
The roofs have a slight upward swell, a gentle convex curve that softens their outline. Even the large upper roof reads as light rather than heavy.
Japanese houses of the early Showa years often paired traditional rooms with a single Western-style reception room near the entrance. The Kozuki main house follows that pattern closely, which is part of what makes it a good record of a city house of its time.
What to Look For
Seen from outside, the Kozuki Family Residence Main House is a stack of roofs: the long two-storey roof behind, the lower roofs of the entrance and Western room stepping forward in front, all tiled and all with that soft curve.
The main house is also the hub of the compound. A covered corridor runs north to the north detached parlor, and a drum bridge leads southwest to the west detached parlor, so the two parlors sit off the house like a pair of arms.
The wide openings are about more than light. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the way the rooms are turned toward the surrounding garden, tying house and landscape into one composition.
Visiting
The Kozuki Family Residence Main House is a private home and its interior is not open to the public. No public opening had been announced as of October 2026.
Because the house stands in the middle of the plot behind the front gate, you will see little of it from the street, perhaps a glimpse of roof at most. If you pause outside the gate, keep it short and mind the residents.
Q&A
- When was the Kozuki Family Residence Main House built and registered?
- It was built in 1930 and registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 25, 2011, together with six other buildings on the same property.
- Can I go inside the Kozuki Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home, and no public opening had been announced as of October 2026.
- What kind of building is the Kozuki Family Residence Main House?
- A timber house of 2 storeys with single-storey sections, covering 223 square metres. The two-storey core has a tiled hip-and-gable roof, with a kitchen and family room to the east and an entrance hall and Western-style room projecting south.
- Where is the Western-style room in the Kozuki Family Residence Main House?
- It projects south from the single-storey east wing, side by side with the entrance hall. Both have their own hip-and-gable roofs and form the front of the house.
- How does the Kozuki Family Residence Main House connect to the other buildings?
- A covered corridor leads north to the north detached parlor, and a drum bridge leads southwest to the west detached parlor.
Basic Information
| Name | Kozuki Family Residence Main House (上月家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 37-7 Bozumachi, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/7/25 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 223 square metres (timber, 2 storeys with single-storey sections, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- 上月家住宅主屋 / Kozuki Family Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008739
- 上月家住宅主屋 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/233200
- 上月家住宅主屋 (City of Himeji, Registered Tangible Cultural Properties)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001701.html
- List of Registered Cultural Properties in Himeji (City of Himeji)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001691.html
Last verified: 2026.10.07
