What Is the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room?
The Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room (魚橋家住宅離れ座敷, Uohashi-ke Jūtaku Hanare Zashiki) is a guest wing standing behind the main house of the Uohashi Family Residence in Itokujimachi, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture; it was built around 1916 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2014.
A single-story timber building with a tiled roof, it has a building area of 71 square meters. It was added about 16 years after the main house, at roughly the same time as the inner storehouse, and together the two completed the back of the compound.
Why the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room Was Registered
The Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an open, quietly composed detached room.
The street-front house was where the family worked and lived day to day; this wing existed only to receive guests. It shows how much care a Taisho-era townhouse owner was willing to spend on rooms no passer-by would ever see.
What to Look for at the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room
The Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room runs east to west under a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki tiles. A veranda and a lean-to Geya roof wrap all the way around it, so the rooms open toward the garden on every side; that encircling veranda is what the Agency means by "open." A toilet is attached at the west end.
There are two rooms: a 10-mat main room at the western end and an anteroom in front of it. The main room has formal Zashiki-kazari fittings, including a built-in writing alcove, the Tsukeshoin, beside the tokonoma.
The detail worth looking for is the Ranma, the transom panels above the doors. Around the main room and in the writing alcove, the panels are framed in the curved outline of a Kōzama, the cusped shape normally seen on the sides of Buddhist altars and platforms, and filled with fine Kumiko latticework.
Visiting the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room
The Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room sits at the back of a private property and is not open to the public. Standing behind the main house, it cannot be seen from the Nozato road. The latticework transoms and the writing alcove can be seen in the interior photographs on the Agency for Cultural Affairs database and the Himeji City page.
For directions and for what can be seen from the street, see the Uohashi Family Residence page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room
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Q&A
- When was the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room built?
- Around 1916. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014.
- What rooms does the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room have?
- A 10-mat main room at the west end and an anteroom in front of it, with a toilet attached at the west end.
- What decorative details does the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room have?
- Transom panels around the main room and in the writing alcove, framed in cusped kozama outlines and filled with fine kumiko latticework.
- What kind of roof does the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room have?
- A hip-and-gable roof of interlocking tiles, with a veranda and lean-to roof running all the way around.
- Can visitors see the Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room?
- No. It is inside a private property, not open to the public, and not visible from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room |
|---|---|
| Location | 24 Itokujimachi, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 71 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (inside a private property) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010011
- Himeji City: Uohashi Family Residence Detached Room (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001847.html
- Himeji City: List of Registered Cultural Properties (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001691.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
