The house at the heart of a Tonouchi farm compound
The Tanaka Family Residence Main House (田中家住宅主屋, Tanaka-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) in Tonouchi-chō, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, is a large farmhouse built around 1887 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2010 (number 28-0456). It stands in the northern half of the Tanaka family's plot on the east bank of the Mogawa, a channel of the Ina River, and faces south.
The Tanaka Family Residence Main House was registered together with the storehouse, east gate and outer wall of the same compound, and it is the building the others are arranged around. The storehouse is attached to its northwest corner.
Two eight-mat rooms on the public side
The house is a single-story timber structure with a low Tsushi-nikai loft under a hip-and-gable roof of pantiles. The entrance is on the long side, the Hirairi arrangement, and the building covers 165 square meters (Amagasaki City gives 164.88).
The living rooms fill the western half in a four-square, field-character layout. Along the front run two eight-mat rooms: one with a formal Shikidai step for receiving guests, the other fitted with a decorative alcove and shelves (Zashiki-kazari). Putting a reception room and a show room side by side on the street side is how a leading farming family signaled its standing.
Plastered walls and three slatted windows
From outside, what you notice first is the upper part of the walls, sealed in white lime plaster. According to Amagasaki City, three Mushiko-mado, small slatted windows set into the plaster, are cut into it. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the Tanaka house a dignified example of a large farmhouse.
Agency records list work on the Tanaka Family Residence Main House around 1896 and again in 1980 and 1993. It has stayed in use as a home throughout, and still keeps the outline of a Meiji-period farmhouse.
Visiting
The Tanaka Family Residence Main House is a private home. Amagasaki City states that it is not open to the public (as of October 2026), and the interior cannot be visited. The house sits inside the outer wall, so from the street you mostly see the wall and gate rather than the house itself.
The background of the compound, what can be seen from outside and directions are on the Tanaka Family Residence (Amagasaki) page.
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Q&A
- Where is the Tanaka Family Residence Main House in Amagasaki?
- In Tonouchi-chō 3-chōme, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture. It stands in the northern half of the Tanaka family plot and faces south.
- When was the Tanaka Family Residence Main House built and registered?
- It was built around 1887 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2010, as number 28-0456.
- How large is the Tanaka Family Residence Main House?
- It is a single-story timber house with a loft, a hip-and-gable pantile roof and a footprint of 165 square meters.
- What is special about the Tanaka Family Residence Main House layout?
- The rooms in the western half follow a four-square plan, with an eight-mat reception room with a shikidai step and an eight-mat room with a decorative alcove along the front.
- Can visitors go inside the Tanaka Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and Amagasaki City says it is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Tanaka Family Residence Main House (田中家住宅主屋), Amagasaki |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-637 Tonouchicho, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 28-0456 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/09/10 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story timber with loft; hip-and-gable pantile roof; building area 165 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Tanaka Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008313
- Cultural Heritage Online: Tanaka Family Residence Main House
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/179575
- Amagasaki City: Registered Cultural Properties of Amagasaki, Tanaka Family Residence
- https://www.city.amagasaki.hyogo.jp/manabu/bunkazai_0/1028308/1028313/1028792.html
Last verified: 2026.10.04
