About the Uehara Family Residence Main House
The Uehara Family Residence Main House (上原家住宅主屋, Uehara-ke Jūtaku Omoya) is the late-Edo dwelling at the heart of a former headman's estate in Nagasu Hondōri, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2011.
The Uehara Family Residence Main House occupies the north side of a corner plot. It is a single-storey timber house 14 metres long and 10 metres deep, under a gabled roof of pantiles, with lean-to Geya extensions along the front and back. The national database gives 138 m²; Amagasaki City lists 138.27 m². The city adds that the entrance is on the long side, parallel to the ridge, the arrangement known as Hirairi.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the house to the late Edo period, with a range of 1830 to 1868 in its year field. Of the six registered buildings, only the Rice Storehouse is older.
An Earth Floor, Six Rooms and Two Central Pillars
Inside the Uehara Family Residence Main House, the west end is an earth-floored Doma work area, and the rest is raised floor laid out in six rooms, a plan called Rokumadori.
The detail the agency chose to record is the pair of daikokubashira. A daikokubashira is the thick central post that carries the frame of a Japanese farmhouse, and it is usually thought of as a single post marking the centre of the home. Having two suggests a large house with many rooms.
The Barn adjoins the east end, and its two upstairs reception rooms are reached by a stair from inside the house. Seen in plan, the house and the barn work as one building.
Registered as a Model of Form
Of the six Uehara buildings, the Uehara Family Residence Main House alone was registered as a model of architectural form; the other five were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape. Amagasaki City presents it as a house in the traditional local farmhouse style.
The walls are what to look for. They are rendered in lime plaster right up under the eaves, and the agency reads that heavy, closed look as the dignity of a headman's house. Lean-tos front and back, a broad pantiled roof and solid plastered walls: that combination is the Uehara Family Residence Main House.
Seeing the Uehara Family Residence Main House
The Uehara Family Residence Main House is still a family home, and its interior is not open. The photograph Amagasaki City uses shows the south face, taken from inside the grounds.
According to the agency, the back of the Barn, joined to the east end of the house, faces an alley. From outside, the house would be seen from that alley on the north or from the road on the west, but how much is visible has not been checked on site. Please photograph only from the public road. Directions are on the Uehara Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Uehara Family Residence Main House
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Uehara Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, between 1830 and 1868. Only the Rice Storehouse on the estate is older.
- What is the layout of the Uehara Family Residence Main House?
- An earth-floored work area at the west end and six raised rooms (rokumadori). The house has two daikokubashira central pillars.
- Why is the Uehara Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2011 as a model of architectural form, the only one of the six Uehara buildings registered on that ground.
- How large is the Uehara Family Residence Main House?
- It is a single-storey timber house 14 m by 10 m, with a building area of 138 m² (138.27 m² in Amagasaki City's list).
- Can visitors go inside the Uehara Family Residence Main House?
- No. The Uehara Family Residence is a private home, and Amagasaki City states that it is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Uehara Family Residence Main House (上原家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-60 Nagasuhondori, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2011 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 138 m² (14 m by 10 m) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; exterior from the street) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 上原家住宅主屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008514
- Cultural Heritage Online: 上原家住宅主屋
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/218650
- Amagasaki City: Uehara Family Residence (registered cultural properties of Amagasaki)
- https://www.city.amagasaki.hyogo.jp/manabu/bunkazai_0/1028308/1028313/1028795.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
