A main house 20 metres across
The Kusaka Family Residence Main House (日下家住宅主屋, Kusaka-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) in Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture, is the large farmhouse at the heart of the Kusaka family compound, built in 1799; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 26, 2011 (number 28-0492). It stands near the centre of the compound with its front to the west.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records remodelling in the mid-Meiji era, the late Taisho era and around 1935. This was the centre of life for the Kusaka, long the leading landowners of Awaga, and the kitchen wing, inner storehouse and parlor wing are all attached to the Kusaka Family Residence Main House or arranged around it.
Open to the rafters from earth floor to great room
The Kusaka Family Residence Main House has a gabled roof of pantiles with lean-to roofs all round. It is a timber building of 2 storeys with a building area of 316 m², and the front measures 20 metres.
An earth-floored work area takes the north end, and the raised floor is laid out as 3 rows of 3 rooms, with verandas on three sides. From the earth floor into the great room, the ōhiroma, there is no ceiling: you look straight up into a bold roof frame tied together with tier upon tier of tie beams.
A model of the large farmhouse
Of the 21 registered structures, only the Kusaka main house was registered as a model of form, and the Agency describes it as a fine example of a large farmhouse.
While the surrounding kitchen and parlor wings were refitted for modern living, the main house kept the scale and framing of a big late Edo farmhouse, the core around which the rest of the household grew.
Visiting
The Kusaka Family Residence Main House is still lived in and cannot be visited inside. Standing in the middle of the site, 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 Main House?
- In the middle of the Kusaka family compound in Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, facing west.
- When was the Kusaka Family Residence Main House registered as a cultural property?
- On January 26, 2011, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 28-0492.
- How big is the Kusaka Family Residence Main House?
- It is a 2-storey timber building with a building area of 316 m² and a frontage of 20 metres.
- What is special about the Kusaka Family Residence Main House?
- The open space from the earth floor into the great room, roofed by a bold frame of stacked tie beams.
- Can visitors see the Kusaka Family Residence Main House?
- It is a private home and not open; from the road it is hardly visible.
Basic Information
| Name | Kusaka Family Residence Main House (日下家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2097 Nishitani, Awaga, Santo-cho, Asago City, Hyogo Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 28-0492 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/01/26 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof; building area 316 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 Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008545
- Cultural Heritage Online — Kusaka Family Residence Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/212640
- Tajima Encyclopedia (Tanshin Regional Promotion Fund) — Kusaka Family Residence
- https://tanshin-kikin.jp/tajima/576
Last verified: 2026.10.02
