A two-storey counting house northwest of the main house
The Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House (日下家住宅旧帳場, Kusaka-ke Jūtaku Kyū-Chōba) in Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture, is the building that once housed the family counting house, built late in the Edo period; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 26, 2011 (number 28-0499). It was remodelled in the mid-Meiji era and again in the early Showa era.
The Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House stands northwest of the main house, at the east end of the row of working buildings that continues west with the forestry office and the Taisho storehouse. A choba was where a merchant or landowning household kept its accounts and handled money, and for the Kusaka, as major landowners, it was presumably the office of the family business.
Six-mat and three-mat rooms on two floors
The Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House is an east-west building with a gabled pantile roof, 2 storeys in timber, 7.1 metres by 5.9 metres, with a building area of 41 m².
The ground floor has two six-mat and two three-mat rooms, and the upper floor two six-mat rooms, one with a tokonoma alcove.
Yellow clay walls and a plain lattice front
The south front of the Kusaka counting house is finished in yellow Otsu clay plaster with the timber frame exposed, with windows upstairs and waist-high lattice below. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a simple, unadorned elevation, a working face that contrasts nicely with the Western-style forestry office next door.
Visiting
The Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House lies inside the compound and is not open. It is hardly visible from the road.
The background of the property, what can be seen from outside and directions are on the Kusaka Family Residence (Asago) page.
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Q&A
- Where is the Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House?
- In the Kusaka compound in Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, northwest of the main house.
- When was the Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House registered as a cultural property?
- On January 26, 2011, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 28-0499.
- How big is the Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House?
- A 2-storey timber building of 7.1 metres by 5.9 metres, with two six-mat and two three-mat rooms downstairs and two six-mat rooms upstairs.
- What does the Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House look like?
- Its south front is yellow Otsu clay plaster with exposed framing, windows above and waist-high lattice below.
- Can visitors see the Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House?
- No. It is inside the private compound and hardly visible from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House (日下家住宅旧帳場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2097 Nishitani, Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 28-0499 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/01/26 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof; building area 41 m² |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Kusaka Family Residence Former Counting House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008552
- Tajima Encyclopedia (Tanshin Regional Promotion Fund) — Kusaka Family Residence
- https://tanshin-kikin.jp/tajima/576
Last verified: 2026.10.02
