What Is the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room?
The Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room (小田垣家住宅座敷, Odagaki-ke Jūtaku Zashiki) is a single-storey timber reception room from the late Meiji era on the Odagaki Shoten property in Tatemachi, Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 2, 2007. It stands just south of the shop across a small courtyard garden, its ridge running east to west.
The building measures 4.4 by 3.0 meters and covers 32 square meters. Inside is one six-mat Zashiki with a Tokonoma alcove. A veranda runs along the north side, and a covered corridor from the shop follows the west side. The tea room adjoins it to the south.
Why the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room Was Registered
The Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room was registered, like the other nine Odagaki buildings, for its contribution to the historic landscape. The agency's description points to two things: an interior in the manner of Sukiya-zukuri, the refined, tea-house style of Japanese architecture, and an exterior plastered all the way up to the eaves.
Those two details sum the building up. Inside is a light, tea-influenced room; outside is the fire-resistant earthen skin of a merchant house. With only a small garden between it and the shop, protection against fire spreading from one to the other was not optional.
The corridor from the shop matters too. It let the family take a visitor straight from the business side to a proper reception room without crossing the working floor, which suggests the room's role in receiving guests in the late Meiji era.
Two Roof Ends on the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room
Look at the roof of the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room from end to end. The east end is a plain gable (Kirizuma-zukuri); the west end is hipped and gabled (Irimoya-zukuri). Finishing one short ridge in two different ways is a careful touch for so small a building, and the more elaborate west end is the one a guest would see while walking in along the corridor from the shop.
The roof is laid in Sangawara-buki pantiles. The north veranda opens onto the courtyard garden, so the room is arranged for looking out at it.
With the tea room directly to the south, the reception spaces run in sequence from the shop to this room and on to the tea room, linked by the corridor and the garden. This room is where that sequence begins.
Visiting the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room
The Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room is not open to the public (checked September 2026) and cannot be seen from the street, since it sits behind the shop.
Odagaki Shoten's occasional reservation-only tour includes a walk through its historic buildings, but the listing does not say which ones; ask when booking if you want to see this room. Directions and shop hours are on the Odagaki Shoten page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room to the late Meiji era, the same period as the adjoining tea room.
- Can I visit the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room?
- The Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room is not open to the public (checked September 2026). If you join the reservation-only tour, ask in advance which buildings are included.
- What is inside the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room?
- One six-mat room with a tokonoma alcove, with a veranda on the north and a corridor from the shop on the west.
- Why is the roof of the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room unusual?
- The east end is a plain gable and the west end is hipped and gabled, so a single short ridge is finished in two different ways.
- When was the Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room registered?
- It was registered on October 2, 2007, under registration number 28-0288.
Basic Information
| Name | Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room |
|---|---|
| Location | 19 Tatemachi and others, Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture (listed as Sasayama City in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered October 2, 2007 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 32 square meters; 4.4 meters by 3.0 meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 小田垣家住宅座敷
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006354
- Cultural Heritage Online: Odagaki Family Residence Tatami Room
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/119427
- Odagaki Shoten official site: Experience Tamba's Black Soybean Heritage tour
- https://www.odagaki.co.jp/news/4237/
Last verified: 2026.09.28
