What Is the Uohashi Family Residence Main House?
The Uohashi Family Residence Main House (魚橋家住宅主屋, Uohashi-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a two-story Machiya townhouse facing east onto the old Nozato highway in Itokujimachi, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture; it was built in 1900 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2014.
A timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 137 square meters, it is both the oldest and the largest of the four registered buildings of the Uohashi Family Residence, and it is the compound's face to the street.
Why the Uohashi Family Residence Main House Was Registered
The Uohashi Family Residence Main House was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sums it up as a townhouse that carries real dignity within Nozato.
That judgment rests on the street front. From the lattice on the ground floor to the plastered upper story and the way two kinds of roofing are combined, the facade keeps its Meiji-era character and gives the house a clear standing among its neighbors on the Nozato road.
What to Look for at the Uohashi Family Residence Main House
Start with the roof. The main roof of the Uohashi Family Residence Main House is laid in heavy round-and-flat Hongawarabuki tiles and has a slight upward swell, known as mukuri. The lean-to roof over the ground floor, the Geya, is finished in lighter interlocking Sangawara-buki tiles instead. Seen from across the street, the difference in weight between the two roofs is easy to read.
The ground floor front has a projecting lattice, or Degōshi, with a low wooden fence called a Komayose in front of it. The upper floor is built in the Degeta-zukuri manner, with beams pushed out to carry the eaves, and its walls are sealed in black Shikkui plaster. Set into them is a row of Mushiko-mado slatted plaster windows shaped like a mokkō, a rectangle with its corners cut in. On a street of mostly white walls, the black plaster and the mokkō-shaped openings stand out.
Inside, the rooms are arranged in two rows along a through passage of beaten earth, with the formal reception room and the Buddhist altar room placed deepest on the upper side. The further in you go, the higher the status of the room, a standard machiya plan.
Visiting the Uohashi Family Residence Main House
The Uohashi Family Residence Main House is a private home and its interior is not open. Because it faces the Nozato road, the front can be seen from the street. For the clearest view of the mokkō windows and the two kinds of roofing, stand on the east side of the road, the side where the Uohashi Kimono Store is.
Please photograph from the street and keep back from the entrance. Directions and the layout of the whole compound are on the Uohashi Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Uohashi Family Residence Main House
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Uohashi Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1900. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014.
- What are the main features of the Uohashi Family Residence Main House facade?
- A gently swelling tiled roof, a projecting lattice and low fence on the ground floor, and a black-plastered upper story with a row of mokkō-shaped mushiko-mado windows.
- How is the Uohashi Family Residence Main House laid out inside?
- Rooms run in two rows beside an earth-floored through passage, with the reception room and Buddhist altar room at the back on the upper side.
- Can I go inside the Uohashi Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and not open to the public, but the front can be seen from the Nozato road.
- How big is the Uohashi Family Residence Main House?
- It is a two-story timber building with a building area of 137 square meters, the largest of the four registered buildings.
Basic Information
| Name | Uohashi Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 24 Itokujimachi, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 137 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Exterior only (interior not open; private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Uohashi Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010010
- Cultural Heritage Online: Uohashi Family Residence Main House (in Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/208247
- Himeji City: Uohashi Family Residence Main House (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001837.html
- Himeji City: List of Registered Cultural Properties (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000001691.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
