A Private Academy of the Mito School
The Former Shizan Juku Main House (旧紫山塾主屋) is a house that also served as a private academy of the Mito school of 1928 in Manabe, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 13, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a copper roof and a building area of 92 square metres, altered in 1976; registration number 08-0320.
A Modern Japanese-Style House and School
The Former Shizan Juku Main House, beside Yasaka Shrine, is the main house of a former private academy and residence of the Mito school of learning, a two-storey hipped building in the middle of its site (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its roof is copper with standing seams, and a hip-and-gable porch projects to the east, giving an L-shaped plan.
Upstairs is a suite of formal rooms with an alcove and staggered shelves, its alcove post a knotty natural log, a sign of the care taken in its design (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes this carefully designed house in the modern Japanese style, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the hip-and-gable porch on the east and the knotty log alcove post upstairs (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The Agency record does not name an owner. No official information on visiting was found.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1928, with alterations in 1976 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was it?
- The main house of a private academy of the Mito school, also a home.
- What are the upstairs rooms like?
- A formal suite with an alcove, staggered shelves and a knotty log post.
- Where is it?
- In Manabe, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, beside Yasaka Shrine.
- When was the Former Shizan Juku Main House registered?
- On March 13, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Shizan Juku Main House (旧紫山塾主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2132 Manabe 5-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2025/03/13 (Reiwa 7) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, copper roof, 92 m² |
| Owner | Not recorded by the Agency |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Former Shizan Juku Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015278
Last verified: 2026.10.20