A Thatched Farmhouse Said to Date From 1688
The Nakazaki Family Residence (中崎家住宅) in Koibuchi-cho, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a Kayabuki thatched farmhouse that family tradition dates to 1688, and it was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1968.
The date rests on a written record from repairs carried out in 1893, which states that the house was put up in 1688. The building's form and carpentry are consistent with that. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the middle Edo period and rates it as a benchmark example against which other farmhouses in Ibaraki can be measured.
The Nakazaki are said to descend from local warrior gentry who had lived in this district since medieval times. When warriors and farmers were formally separated in the late 16th century, the family returned to the land at Koibuchi village, and its heads went on to serve as village headmen for generations. The house is known by the name Horinouchi, meaning "inside the moat", and the ground it stands on is the site of a fortified manor. Earthworks and a dry moat belonging to Koibuchi castle survive to the northwest.
The official designation name refers to Uchihara Town in Higashiibaraki District, the address as it stood at the time. Uchihara was absorbed into Mito City in 2005, so the present address is in Mito.
The Case for Designation, and What the Survey Found
The house measures 13.4 meters along the ridge and 8.2 meters across, hipped in the Yosemune-zukuri manner and thatched, with a board-roofed eave attached on the east face. The thatch covers roughly 245 square meters. Other old farmhouses survive within Mito, but none reaches back to the Genroku years of the late 17th century while keeping its original form. That is what the designation rests on.
A survey of the fabric turned up something else. The Nakazaki Family Residence today reads as a single mass under one continuous roof, yet it began as 2 separate structures.
In that older arrangement, the living block and the earth-floored working block were built as independent buildings set against each other. Seen in plan the result resembles the L-shaped farmhouse type found further north, though it arrives there by a different route. Traces in the timbers allowed investigators to read how the 2 parts were later merged into the present form, which makes this one house unusually informative about how farmhouses in the Kanto region developed.
Status is legible in the building as well. A family that could put up a house of this size and quality was, without much doubt, of headman rank. The result is a physical record of how a wealthy farming household lived in the villages ringing the castle town of Mito.
What to Look at
Begin with the roof. Thatch laid over a hipped frame 13.4 meters long covers about 245 square meters, and the closer you get the more clearly you can read the depth of the cut edge at the eaves. On the east face a separate board-roofed eave takes over, so the material changes at a break in the eaves line.
Standing at the front, note how low the eaves sit against the width of the facade. That proportion is characteristic of middle Edo farmhouses and reads quite differently from the taller farm buildings of later centuries.
Walk around to the northwest and the earthworks and dry moat of the Koibuchi castle site come into view. The moat is said once to have run as far as the prefectural road to the south. That the Nakazaki Family Residence occupies a fortified site fits the family's own account of its medieval origins.
Plum trees in the garden flower in spring. Bear in mind, though, that this is not a museum but a house where the owner lives. The section below explains how to approach a visit.
Visiting the Nakazaki Family Residence
The Nakazaki Family Residence is privately owned and stands within a compound where the owner still lives. Neither Mito City nor the Mito Tourism and Convention Association publishes opening days, visiting hours or an admission charge. It is best understood as a private house rather than a site with a fixed schedule.
The exterior can be seen from outside the property. Anyone wishing to enter the grounds, or to visit as a group, should contact the Cultural Properties Section of the History and Cultural Properties Division at the Mito City Board of Education beforehand. The office is at 1-4-1 Chuo, Mito City, telephone 029-306-8132.
No policy on photography has been published either. Even when photographing the building from beyond the boundary, keep in mind that people live here, and take care not to include residents in the frame. Keep voices down and visits short.
The nearest station is Uchihara on the JR Joban Line, about 2.5 kilometers to the north of the house, roughly 10 minutes by car. Walking takes over 30 minutes along roads that are not consistently provided with footpaths, so a car or taxi is the practical choice. The signboard on the prefectural road is small and easy to miss. Whether any visiting information is published was checked against Mito City in September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Nakazaki Family Residence, and is there an admission charge?
- It is privately owned and the owner lives on the site. Neither Mito City nor the tourism association publishes opening days, hours or a charge. The exterior can be viewed from outside the property; to enter the grounds, contact the History and Cultural Properties Division of the Mito City Board of Education in advance.
- When was the Nakazaki Family Residence built and designated?
- Family tradition gives 1688, a date recorded in documents from repairs made in 1893. It was designated an Important Cultural Property on 25 April 1968, and the designation covers 1 building.
- How large is the Nakazaki Family Residence?
- It measures 13.4 meters along the ridge and 8.2 meters across, hipped and thatched, with a board-roofed eave on the east face. The thatched roof covers roughly 245 square meters.
- Why does the name of the Nakazaki Family Residence mention Uchihara Town?
- Because that was the address in 1968, when the designation was made. Uchihara Town in Higashiibaraki District was absorbed into Mito City in 2005, and the house now stands at 2897 Koibuchi-cho, Mito City.
- How do I reach the Nakazaki Family Residence from Uchihara Station?
- The house lies about 2.5 kilometers south of Uchihara Station on the JR Joban Line, roughly 10 minutes by car. On foot it takes over 30 minutes along roads without continuous footpaths, so a car or taxi is advisable. The roadside sign is small and easily missed.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakazaki Family Residence (Uchihara Town, Higashiibaraki District, Ibaraki Prefecture) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2897 Koibuchi-cho, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1968 (Showa 43) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 13.4 meters along the ridge, 8.2 meters across |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | A privately owned house that is still lived in; no opening days or visiting hours are published. Contact the History and Cultural Properties Division of the Mito City Board of Education in advance before entering the grounds |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Designated Cultural Property Database: Nakazaki Family Residence
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/256
- Mito City: Nakazaki Family Residence
- https://www.city.mito.lg.jp/site/education/4886.html
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education: Nakazaki Family Residence
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/kuni-15/
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nakazaki Family Residence
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/db/heritages/detail/184406
Last verified: 2026.09.06