A three-storey house on the old Route 50
The Arakawa Family Residence Main House stands at 868 Ko in Chikusei City, Ibaraki Prefecture, a wooden building of 3 storeys completed in 1933 (Showa 8) and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1999 (Heisei 11).
Its walls are mortar-rendered, its roof tiled, and it covers a building area of 139 square meters. The address sits in Tamachi, once the commercial centre of Shimodate, on the south side of the old national Route 50.
The Arakawa family has traded here under the shop name Arashichi. They brewed soy sauce in earlier generations and now run a liquor shop. The Arakawa Family Residence Main House is the living quarters of that business.
Why it was listed
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the listing criterion for the Arakawa Family Residence Main House as a building that sets a standard of design. Its registration number is 08-0007.
Four more buildings on the same plot went onto the register with it on 23 August 1999: the shop storehouse next door, the annex and inner storehouse behind, and a stone storehouse at the northeast corner. Five buildings in all.
What the assessors singled out is the elevation. The body of the house is an Art Deco Western-style block in mortar, but the third floor carries a Japanese Hōgyō-zukuri roof, square in plan and rising to a point. Placing a Japanese roof on a Western frame was a recognised manner of the 1930s, called teikan-yoshiki, and it appears on government buildings of the period. A provincial merchant choosing it for his own house is far less common.
Reading the facade
Stand on the far pavement and the second-floor windows resolve into a measured rhythm, evenly spaced across the front. The Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education names that rhythm, together with the round porthole windows, as the defining feature of the Arakawa Family Residence Main House.
Round openings cannot be dropped anywhere on a wall. These sit where they neither unbalance the front nor cut across a floor line, which suggests the elevation was worked out on paper before anything was built.
The roof needs distance. Its four eaves drop at the same angle, and that shape is hard to read from directly below. The contrast between grey tile and white render also sharpens on a clear afternoon.
To the east the shop storehouse continues the frontage in Dozo-zukuri, two storeys of black plaster. The joint where render meets plaster is the point on this plot where the gap between eras shows most plainly.
Visiting the Arakawa Family Residence Main House
The Arakawa Family Residence Main House is a private home and the interior is not open. Viewing is from the street only. Photograph from the pavement, do not step onto the property, and do not point a camera at the residents.
Traffic on the old Route 50 is heavy. Do not step into the carriageway to frame the building. Backing up to the far pavement is enough to bring the third-floor roof into shot.
The nearest station is Shimodate, served by the JR Mito Line, the Kanto Railway Joso Line and the Moka Railway. Leave by the north exit and walk north about 700 meters along the street ahead, roughly 10 minutes. Paid parking is available near the station. The ground-floor shop trades as a liquor store, so customers may go inside during opening hours; those hours can change, so check before you travel. Details confirmed on 5 September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Arakawa Family Residence Main House, and is the interior open?
- The Arakawa Family Residence Main House is a private home and the interior is closed. You can view the exterior from the street. The ground floor operates as a liquor shop, so customers may enter during opening hours.
- When was the Arakawa Family Residence Main House built and when was it registered?
- It was built in 1933 (Showa 8) and entered the register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on 23 August 1999, under registration number 08-0007.
- How do I get to the Arakawa Family Residence Main House from Shimodate Station?
- Leave the north exit and walk north about 700 meters, roughly 10 minutes. Shimodate is served by the JR Mito Line, the Kanto Railway Joso Line and the Moka Railway, and there is paid parking by the station.
- Is photography allowed at the Arakawa Family Residence Main House?
- Exterior photography from the street is fine. Do not enter the grounds, do not photograph the residents or the shop interior, and stay off the carriageway; the road in front is busy.
- What should I look at on the Arakawa Family Residence Main House?
- The pyramidal roof over the third floor, the evenly spaced second-floor windows and the round porthole openings. At the east end, the mortar wall meets the black plaster of the neighbouring shop storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Arakawa Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 868 Ko, Chikusei City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 1999 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 3 storeys, tile roof, building area 139 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Interior closed. Exterior viewable from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database (Registered Tangible Cultural Property, Buildings)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001234
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education: Arakawa Family Residence, Main House and Four Others
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6491/
- Chikusei City: Arakawa Family Residence (registration numbers 08-0007 to 08-0011)
- https://www.city.chikusei.lg.jp/kyouiku-bunka-sports/bunkazai/nationally-registered/page000272.html
Last verified: 2026.09.05