The wing where guests were received
The Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing (安達家住宅座敷, Adachike Jūtaku Zashiki) is a single-storey timber wing attached to the west side of a merchant house in Makabe, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture, built in the closing decades of the Edo period and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2017. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives its construction date as between 1830 and 1868.
A Zashiki is the part of a Japanese house set aside for receiving people from outside it. Here that function was given a building of its own: 90 square meters of floor area under a hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof finished in Sangawara-buki pantiles, joined onto the family's living quarters but entered separately.
The contrast with the rest of the property is the point. The shop block on Shinjuku-dori was raised in thick fireproof plaster because it held stock and faced the street. Behind it, out of the fire's likely path and out of the public eye, the Adachi family built in ordinary exposed timber and spent their money on finish instead of on armour.
The wing was repaired around 1970, and the work has left it legible rather than remade.
Three rooms in a row, and why they matter
Visitors enter through a Shikidai, a low boarded step set inside the doorway where a guest kneels while greetings are exchanged. It marks the entrance as a ceremonious one rather than a working one.
Beyond it the Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing sets out 3 rooms in a line, of 9, 10 and 8 Tatami mats. The 8-mat room carries the full Shoin-zukuri equipment: a Tokonoma alcove, the stepped shelving of a tokowaki beside it, and a Tsukeshoin writing bay projecting toward the garden light. The 10-mat room has a broad display alcove running about 4.5 meters, wide enough to give the room the formal bearing that the Agency for Cultural Affairs picks out in its description of the building.
Rooms set out in a line like this were normally divided by sliding partitions, so that two or three of them could be opened into a single long space when the household had a funeral, a wedding or a New Year gathering to hold.
The fittings do the talking. In a house of this period, which room outranked which was settled by the presence of an alcove and a writing bay, not by size alone.
Why it was registered
The Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing was entered on the national register on 27 October 2017 with registration number 08-0301, in the 88th round of registrations, under the criterion covering buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country. The listing covers 1 building and the owner is a private individual.
The same day brought the shop storehouse and the gate on the same plot onto the register under their own numbers, so the household's three surviving structures were taken together as a set while remaining separate listings.
Makabe has roughly 100 registered properties in and around its old streets, and about 17.6 hectares of the town was selected in 2010 as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Reception wings survive far less often than shopfronts do, because they sit at the back of the plot where later generations rebuild, which is a large part of why this one was worth listing.
Visiting
The Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing stands behind the street block on a plot that is still a private home, and the interior is not open to the public. From Shinjuku-dori you can see the gate that serves it and read the roofline of the wing behind, but the rooms themselves are not on view.
Photography from the public street is not restricted. Do not enter the plot or photograph through the gateway.
Getting there: JR Mito Line to Iwase Station, then the Sakuragawa city bus Yamazakura GO to the Shimojuku or Kamijuku stop in the old town. From Tsukuba Station on the Tsukuba Express, take the north shuttle bus to Tsukubasanguchi and change to Yamazakura GO, about 90 minutes in total. Drivers should allow around 40 minutes from the Tsuchiura-kita interchange on the Joban Expressway.
Makabe's Hina Matsuri, running from early February to 3 March each year, is the one period when a good number of houses open their reception rooms to display doll sets, and it is the only realistic chance of seeing rooms of this kind in the town. Participation is decided household by household. Ask the Sakuragawa City Commerce and Tourism Division on 0296-55-1159 which houses are opening before you plan a trip around it.
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Q&A
- Can I go inside the Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing?
- No. The property is a private home and the reception rooms are not open to visitors. What can be seen is the exterior, from Shinjuku-dori.
- What rooms does the Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing contain?
- 3 rooms in a row, measuring 9, 10 and 8 tatami mats. The 8-mat room has an alcove, side shelving and a writing bay; the 10-mat room has a display alcove about 4.5 meters wide.
- How old is the Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it between 1830 and 1868, the last decades of the Edo period. It was repaired around 1970 and registered as a cultural property in 2017.
- How do I get to the Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing?
- Take the JR Mito Line to Iwase Station and the Yamazakura GO city bus to Shimojuku or Kamijuku. From Tsukuba Station, use the north shuttle to Tsukubasanguchi and change; allow about 90 minutes.
- Is there any time of year when reception rooms like this open in Makabe?
- During the Hina Matsuri from early February to 3 March, many households in Makabe put doll displays in their reception rooms and open them to visitors. Which houses take part changes from year to year.
Basic Information
| Name | Adachi Family Residence Zashiki Reception Wing |
|---|---|
| Location | 424-1 Shinjukucho, Makabecho, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2017 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 90 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Interior closed to the public; exterior visible from Shinjuku-dori |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Adachike Jutaku Zashiki
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011861
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education: Adachike Jutaku Misegura oyobi Shuoku and two other structures
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-5932/
- Sakuragawa City: Makabe Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/education/bunkazai/city_bunkazai/kuni_bunkazai/page003423.html
- Sakuragawa City: The townscape of Makabe
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/tourism_guide/learn/page000455.html
Last verified: 2026.09.05