The Oldest House on the Compound
The Nishio Family Residence Main House (西尾家住宅主屋, Nishio-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) in Oyamakami, Tambasasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, is the 1733 home of a sake-brewing family and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 July 2004.
It is a single-storey timber house with a building area of 332 square metres, set toward the north end of a plot that faces the old San'in Road. Of the eleven registered structures at the Nishio compound it is the oldest, 87 years earlier than the teahouse built in 1820.
The Ōyama community council describes the house as the heart of the compound's streetscape. Storehouses, a brewery and garden walls were added around it from the late Edo period into the Meiji era, but the Nishio main house stayed at the centre.
Why It Was Registered
The main house was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. With its entrance on the north side, under a lean-to roof, it forms the public face of the Nishio compound on the old road, together with the forecourt gate and wall and the annex.
It also matters as a large rural house of the Kyōhō era whose basic layout is still legible: an earth-floored work area on the east, raised rooms on the west. A teahouse attached to the reception rooms and a projecting wing in the northwest show how the family kept adding space for guests.
What to Look At
A part-hipped roof
The core of the house runs north to south under a katairimoya roof, hipped-and-gabled at one end and plain-gabled at the other, laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles. In plan it measures 8 ken by 6 and a half ken.
The north entrance
On the north side, facing the road, a Geya lean-to roof runs along the wall and shelters the entrance. Visitors to the Nishio family would have crossed the forecourt and stepped up into the house here.
Earth floor and raised rooms
Inside, the east side is a Doma earth-floored work area and the west side has raised, matted rooms. Reception rooms and a tea room project to the southwest, and a covered walkway from behind them leads to the separate teahouse.
The 10-mat reception wing
In the northwest corner a 10-mat reception room sits in a Tsunoya wing whose ridge runs east to west, at right angles to the main roof. The meeting of the two ridges gives the Nishio Family Residence Main House a more complex roofline than a simple gabled farmhouse.
Visiting
The Nishio Family Residence Main House is a private home, and as of October 2026 there was no notice of public access to the interior. It can only be seen from the old San'in Road.
From the road you see the north entrance and the northwest reception wing, partly screened by the forecourt wall and the annex, so the view is mostly of overlapping roofs. Please stay on the public road.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nishio Family Residence Main House
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Nishio Family Residence Main House built?
- It was built in 1733 (Kyōhō 18) and is the oldest of the eleven registered structures at the Nishio compound.
- How large is the Nishio main house?
- It is a single-storey timber house with a tiled, part-hipped roof, measuring 8 ken by 6 and a half ken, with a building area of 332 square metres.
- What is the layout of the Nishio Family Residence Main House?
- An earth-floored work area occupies the east side and raised rooms the west. Reception rooms and a tea room project to the southwest, and a 10-mat reception room sits in a wing at the northwest corner.
- Why is the Nishio Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 23 July 2004 as a building that contributes to the historic landscape, forming the front of the compound on the old San'in Road.
- Can I visit the Nishio Family Residence Main House?
- It is a private home with no notice of public access to the interior as of October 2026. The north side can be seen from the old San'in Road.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishio Family Residence Main House (西尾家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 699 Oyamakami, Tambasasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/7/23 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single storey, tiled roof, building area 332 square metres |
| Owner | Private (owner field blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the old San'in Road) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nishio Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004274
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nishio Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/117154
- Ōyama Community Council: Walking map, Nishio Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://oyama-sasayama.info/sansakumap
Last verified: 2026.10.08
