Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Hyogo

Seishikan (Former Tomita Family Residence) Main House

Seishikan Main House: A 1934 Thatched House on a Modern Truss Frame

The thatched 1934 main house of Seishikan in Inagawa, Hyogo, hides a truss frame under its roof and adds a reception wing and flush guest toilet. Free to visit.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Hyogo

About the Seishikan Main House

The Seishikan (Former Tomita Family Residence) Main House (静思館（旧冨田家住宅）主屋, Seishikan Kyū-Tomita-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a thatched single-story house completed in 1934 in Ueno, Inagawa Town, Hyogo Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2004.

It is the heart of the estate the art dealer Tomita Kumasaku built in his home village. The house stands in the middle of the grounds facing south, with a building area of 261 m². The roof is thatch, the entrance is on the long side (Hirairi), and tiled pent roofs run along the south front. The master carpenter was Saito Sotaro, whom the town describes as a Kyoto builder.

Why the Seishikan Main House was registered

The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Seishikan Main House as a model of architectural form, calling it a good example of modern Japanese-style architecture based on the farmhouse. From outside it looks like the home of a wealthy Edo-period farmer. Inside the roof, though, the structure is modern.

The roof frame is a Truss rather than the usual Japanese system of heavy beams and posts. Trusses came to Japan with Western building after the 1870s, and using one to carry a large thatched roof is unusual. The town's leaflet singles out this pairing of a purely Japanese exterior with a truss frame.

What to look for at the Seishikan Main House

Compare the two ends of the roof. The west end is hipped-and-gabled (irimoya) and the east end is a plain gable (kirizuma), so one thatched roof has two different profiles. From the forecourt you can see the west gable and the roof line falling away to the east.

Inside, an earth-floored Doma fills the west end, and six raised rooms sit to the east in two rows of three. Beyond them a tiled reception wing and a guest toilet project eastward. The toilet flushed with water from the Water Tower, a rare comfort in a country house of the early 1930s, and from it a pantry passage leads on to the Tea Room.

The town says the house is built entirely of Japanese cypress, with tatami rooms of six to ten mats, and that furniture and household items used by the Tomita family remain inside. Walking from the doma toward the reception wing, you move from a farmhouse plan into rooms made for receiving guests.

Visiting the Seishikan Main House

The interior of the Seishikan Main House can be visited on opening days, free of charge. Some rooms are rented out, and the town notes that booked rooms may not be open for viewing. Expect raised sills and steps between rooms.

For the whole thatched roof, stand in the forecourt just inside the Front Gate. The east gable is best seen from the inner garden beyond the Garden Wall. Casual photos for personal use need no permission, but tripods require a booking. Opening hours and access for the estate are on the Seishikan page.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Seishikan (Former Tomita Family Residence) Main House; [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]

Q&A

QWhen was the Seishikan Main House built?: AThe Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1934. Town sources say Tomita Kumasaku spent three years building the estate, starting in 1932.

QDoes the Seishikan Main House have a thatched roof?: AYes. The roof is thatched, hipped-and-gabled at the west end and gabled at the east end, with tiled pent roofs on the south side.

QWhy is the Seishikan Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?: AIt was registered in 2004 as a model of architectural form: a good example of modern Japanese-style architecture based on the farmhouse, with a truss roof frame under the thatch.

QCan I go inside the Seishikan Main House?: AYes, on opening days, and admission is free. Rooms booked for rental may be closed to viewing that day.

QWho built the Seishikan Main House?: AIt was built for the art dealer Tomita Kumasaku by the master carpenter Saito Sotaro, described by the town as a Kyoto builder.

Basic Information

Name	Seishikan (Former Tomita Family Residence) Main House (静思館（旧冨田家住宅）主屋)
Location	22 Ueno Machimawari, Inagawa Town, Kawabe District, Hyogo Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building)
Year Designated	Registered in 2004
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Building area 261 m²
Owner	Inagawa Town
Public Access	Open to the public as Seishikan (free; closed Mondays)