The living quarters behind the shop
The Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House (宮本家住宅居宅, Miyamotoke Jūtaku Kyotaku) is a late Edo period house built between 1830 and 1867 at Hojo in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 July 2003. It stands directly south of the shop storehouse that fronts the street, and a corridor joins the two.
The household traded as Miyasei and made its living from brewing and selling soy sauce. This building was where that family lived, set back from the commercial face of the property. Eight registered buildings survive on the Hojo plot, and at 141 square metres of floor area the Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House is the largest of them.
It is a timber house, single-storeyed with a 2-storey portion. The roof is Yosemune-zukuri, hipped on all four sides with its ridge running north to south, and covered in Sangawara-buki pantiles. The walls are Shikkui plaster. Lean-to Geya roofs wrap the west, south and east sides, so the eaves lines fold over one another as you walk around it.
A merchant household read through its plan
The plan of the Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House is a distorted version of the four-room grid that was standard in early modern Japanese houses. The four rooms are there, but they refuse to line up: sizes and positions have been pulled out of true to suit the way the family actually used the space.
The principal rooms, including the Zashiki where guests were received, are gathered along the south, and that face was built to open. Remove the sliding panels and the rooms run out into the garden. The storehouse on the street side is a sealed box; this building is its opposite, and the two divide the work of the compound between them.
The registration number is No. 08-0082, entered under the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape. The national record describes the house and the shop storehouse as forming the core of the compound together, which is the point: this building was assessed through its relationship with the one in front of it, not on its own.
What to look for
From outside, the roofs repay attention. Three lean-to sections push out under the main hipped roof, so a single-storey house acquires a layered silhouette, and the white plaster runs on unbroken beneath them.
The corridor to the shop storehouse is the detail that explains how the place worked. Trade at the front, family life at the back, and a way of moving between them without stepping outside.
Stand on the south side and the logic becomes plain. The openings facing the garden are wide, the storehouse windows are small and shuttered, and one thin corridor connects a building designed to be shut against fire with a building designed to be thrown open to the air.
Visiting
The Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House is still a working home, and the interior is not open to visitors. What can be seen is the exterior from the public street, including part of the roof rising behind the shop storehouse.
The shop storehouse on the same plot is sometimes opened during autumn events, which gives a closer view of how the compound is put together. Dates change each year, so enquire with the Hojo town-building association.
Photographing the exterior from the road is fine. Please do not step inside the wall or look into the garden.
The nearest stop is Hojo Nakamachi, about 45 minutes from Tsukuba Station on the Tsukuba Express by Oda Shuttle. Choosing the Hokubu Shuttle means about 30 minutes to Tsukuba Koryu Center and about 10 minutes walking north. The Kantetsu Purple Bus from Tsuchiura Station takes about 40 minutes.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Ibaraki
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House
- [ Hitachi Seaside Park Nemophila Flower Tours ]
Q&A
- Can visitors go inside the Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House?
- No. The building is still lived in and the interior is closed. The exterior can be seen from the street.
- How large is the Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House?
- Its floor area is 141 square metres, the largest of the 8 registered buildings on the plot. It is a single-storey timber house with a 2-storey section.
- When did the Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House receive national registration?
- On 1 July 2003, as registration No. 08-0082, under the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape.
- How is the Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House connected to the shop storehouse?
- The house sits immediately south of the storehouse and a corridor links the two, allowing movement between the shop front and the private rooms without going outdoors.
- How do I get to the Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House?
- Hojo Nakamachi is the closest stop, about 45 minutes from Tsukuba Station on the Oda Shuttle, or about 40 minutes from Tsuchiura Station on the Kantetsu Purple Bus.
Basic Information
| Name | Miyamoto Family Residence Dwelling House |
|---|---|
| Location | 188 Hojo, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 1 July 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 141 square metres, single-storey timber construction with a 2-storey section |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Interior closed to the public; exterior visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Miyamotoke Jutaku Kyotaku
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003360
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Cultural Properties of Ibaraki: Miyamotoke Jutaku Misegura and seven other buildings
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6404/
- Tsukuba City, Protection of Cultural Properties (list of registered tangible cultural properties)
- https://www.city.tsukuba.lg.jp/kankobunka/bunka/rekishi/1001638.html
- Tsukuba Sanroku Hojo, Hojo Town Development Association: Highlights
- https://tsukuba-hojo.jp/highlights/
- Tsukuba-michi Hojo Sanpo, Hojo Town Development Association: Access
- https://old.tsukuba-hojo.jp/access.html
Last verified: 2026.09.07