A north-facing house on Kamijuku-dori
The Habutsu Family Residence Main House (土生都家住宅主屋, Habutsuke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a 2-storey timber dwelling of the early Shōwa era in Makabe, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture, entered on the national list as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 November 2004.
The Shōwa era began in 1926, and this house belongs to its opening years. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a comparatively late example of modern Japanese-style domestic architecture, which is an unusual thing to say about a listed building and is exactly the point of it.
It stands in the north-east part of its plot, on Kamijuku-dōri, one of the streets running through the old commercial centre of Makabe. The house faces north, towards the road. It measures 4.5 Ken along the ridge and 4 ken across, with a building area of 65 square metres, which makes it modest beside the merchant houses further down the street. The roof is Yosemune-zukuri, hipped on all four sides, laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, and its ridge runs north to south.
A porch roofed in the Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable form projects from the north front. This is what catches the eye first, and the junction where the porch roof meets the hipped roof behind it gives away the shape of the whole building.
The walls are finished in sasarako shitami-itabari. Horizontal boards are lapped one over another, then held down by vertical battens; the battens are notched to sit over the stepped board edges, and it is these notches that give the technique its name. On the Habutsu Family Residence Main House the upper part of the front wall alone carries a coat of Shikkui lime plaster. The other three walls are left as bare boarding.
Why a Shōwa house is on the national register
Registered buildings multiplied in Makabe after the former town office began using the registration system in fiscal 1999. The area around Makabe now holds more than 100 registered structures. The Habutsu Family Residence Main House is number 08-0157 on that register, listed in the 44th round of registrations, and the gate on the same plot went on the list the same day.
The criterion applied was contribution to the historic landscape of the country. Registration under that heading is not a judgement about age or rarity of style. It says the building helps make the street what it is.
That street has a datable turning point. A fire in 1837 burned through Makabe, after which thatch and shingle gave way to tile, and merchants began putting up show-storehouses and Dozo-zukuri warehouses. Gates of the Yakuimon type went up across the town during the Meiji period as the silk-reeling trade grew, and two-storey townhouses with projecting eaves beams spread in the Taishō years. The Habutsu Family Residence Main House arrived after all of that. On the timeline of the streetscape it is the newest layer.
In 2010 roughly 17.6 hectares of Makabe were selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, and the Habutsu Family Residence Main House falls inside that boundary.
Details to look for from the street
The plaster is the easiest thing to read from outside. Only the upper half of the street-facing wall is white; walk round to the flank and the boarding continues in plain brown. Spend on what is seen, economise on what is not. The merchant houses of Makabe worked on the same principle, and this Shōwa house inherited it without argument.
The notched battens need a closer look. When light falls at an angle the notches throw a fine row of shadows down the wall, so early morning or late afternoon suits the Habutsu Family Residence Main House better than the middle of the day, when a north-facing front tends to flatten into shade.
Look also at how the gate and the house sit together. The gate stands at the northern edge of the plot; the house is set back behind it to the north-east. Change your angle as you walk and there is a point where the gate opening frames the porch.
The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake damaged more than 90 per cent of the traditional buildings in Makabe, and repaired and unrepaired structures stood side by side for years afterwards. Walking the block around the Habutsu Family Residence Main House, you can still see roofs and walls that were put back in slightly different ways.
Visiting the Habutsu Family Residence Main House
This is a lived-in private house. The interior is not open, and visitors cannot enter the grounds. Viewing means looking at the exterior from the public road on Kamijuku-dōri. The walking map published by Sakuragawa City asks visitors to stay off the plots and out of the buildings.
Photography from the road is fine. Pointing a lens over the fence or into the porch is not, and a tripod planted on a narrow street will block people who live there.
By public transport, take the JR Mito Line to Iwase Station, then the Sakuragawa city bus, branded Yamazakura GO, and get off at the Kamijuku stop. The ride takes roughly 20 to 35 minutes depending on the routing of the service. The fare is a flat 200 yen, and Suica, PASMO and other transport IC cards are accepted. Drivers can leave the Kita-Kanto Expressway at Sakuragawa-Chikusei and follow Route 50 and Prefectural Route 41. There is a municipal car park at Takajomachi, 279-1 Makabe, Makabe-cho.
From 4 February to 3 March each year the town holds the Makabe Hina Matsuri, when houses and shops set out displays of dolls. Traffic is restricted on the busiest weekend days and the Kamijuku bus stop is closed on some of them, so check the restricted dates before planning a visit to the Habutsu Family Residence Main House in that season.
Transport, fare and event details here were checked on 7 September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can you go inside the Habutsu Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home still in use. The interior is closed and the grounds are not open to visitors. You can look at the exterior from the public road on Kamijuku-dōri.
- When was the Habutsu Family Residence Main House built?
- In the early Shōwa era, which began in 1926. That makes it one of the later buildings among the registered structures of Makabe. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 November 2004.
- How big is the Habutsu Family Residence Main House and how is it built?
- It is timber-framed and 2 storeys high, measuring 4.5 ken by 4 ken with a building area of 65 square metres. The hipped, pantiled roof runs north to south, and a hip-and-gable porch projects from the north front.
- How do I reach the Habutsu Family Residence Main House from Iwase Station?
- Take the Sakuragawa city bus, Yamazakura GO, from Iwase Station on the JR Mito Line and alight at Kamijuku. The journey takes about 20 to 35 minutes and costs a flat 200 yen. By car, exit the Kita-Kanto Expressway at Sakuragawa-Chikusei, follow Route 50 and Prefectural Route 41, and use the Takajomachi car park.
- Is photography allowed at the Habutsu Family Residence Main House?
- Photographing the exterior from the public road is fine. Please do not shoot over the fence or into the porch, and avoid setting up a tripod where it obstructs the pavement.
Basic Information
| Name | Habutsu Family Residence Main House (土生都家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 75-2 Makabe, Makabe-cho, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 8 November 2004 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys; 4.5 ken by 4 ken; building area 65 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual (no owner name recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Private residence; interior closed. Exterior may be viewed from the public road on Kamijuku-dōri only. No entry to the grounds |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Habutsu Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004327
- Cultural Heritage Online: Habutsu Family Residence Main House
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/117407
- Sakuragawa City: Makabe Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/education/bunkazai/city_bunkazai/kuni_bunkazai/page003423.html
- Sakuragawa City: Walking Makabe, registered cultural property map
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/data/doc/1487569963_doc_23_1.pdf
- Sakuragawa City: Yamazakura GO city bus service information
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/kurashi/koutsu/page005762.html
Last verified: 2026.09.07