An early Showa Western-style office
The Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office (日下家住宅旧日下林業事務所, Kusaka-ke Jūtaku Kyū-Kusaka Ringyō Jimusho) in Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture, is a Western-style office in fireproof earthen construction built for the family forestry business, built in 1939; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 26, 2011 (number 28-0500). It stands as an east-west range just west of the counting house.
The Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office shows that the landowning Kusaka also ran a forestry business. Built in the same year as the new wing, it suggests a family business that had once been run from the counting house taking on the form of a modern office in the Showa era.
An earthen storehouse with a Western porch
The Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office is a single-storey building in fireproof earthen construction with a gabled pantile roof, 9.4 metres by 5.9 metres, with a building area of 55 m².
The south front has the entrance in the middle, three tall windows to the east and a window with its own small canopy to the west. A projecting canopy shelters the door, flanked by round columns.
A Western face in a Japanese compound
The Agency for Cultural Affairs says the Kusaka forestry office keeps the atmosphere of an early Showa Western-style office very well. It keeps the fire safety of earthen walls but presents tall windows and a columned porch. Seen beside the plain timber-and-clay front of the counting house, it shows how the family business moved from the Edo period into the Showa era.
Visiting
The Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office 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 Kusaka Forestry Office?
- In the Kusaka compound in Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, just west of the former counting house.
- When was the Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office registered as a cultural property?
- On January 26, 2011, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 28-0500.
- When was the Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office built?
- In 1939.
- What does the Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office look like?
- An earthen-walled building with a central porch under a canopy, round columns at the door and three tall windows, in Western style.
- Can visitors see the Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office?
- No. It is inside the private compound and hardly visible from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Kusaka Family Residence Former Kusaka Forestry Office (日下家住宅旧日下林業事務所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2097 Nishitani, Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 28-0500 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/01/26 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen construction, single storey, tiled roof; building area 55 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 Kusaka Forestry Office
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008553
- Tajima Encyclopedia (Tanshin Regional Promotion Fund) — Kusaka Family Residence
- https://tanshin-kikin.jp/tajima/576
Last verified: 2026.10.02
