What Is the Chiba Family Residence Main House?
The Chiba Family Residence Main House (千葉家住宅主屋, Chiba-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a mid-Meiji house in Esashi Inase, Ōshū (Oshu) City, Iwate Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 18, 2003. It stands on a house lot beside National Route 456 with its ridge running east to west (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records the Chiba Family Residence Main House as a timber building of 2 storeys with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 228 square metres. Its registration number is 03-0057, and the registration was gazetted on April 8 of the same year.
The two main sources date it differently. The Agency gives only "mid-Meiji". A booklet on local cultural properties issued by the Ōshū City Board of Education (June 2025 edition) says the house was built in 1892 and that the family ran a liquor shop here during the Shōwa era. The address also varies: the national register uses the older form "Esashi-ku Inase", while the city's own list of cultural properties (as of January 30, 2026) writes "Esashi Inase".
A Roof with Two Different Ends
The Chiba Family Residence Main House measures 9.5 ken along the ridge and 5.5 ken across (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A ken is a traditional bay of 6 shaku, so the house is roughly 17 metres long and 10 metres deep.
Inside, the raised-floor part is divided into 4 rooms, the Yomadori plan common in Japanese farmhouses, and the entrance is on the long side, an arrangement called Hirairi.
The roof was originally thatched (Kayabuki). Its west end is hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) and its east end is hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri), so a single roof finishes in two different shapes. In houses of this kind the end with the formal rooms is called the upper side and the end with the earthen-floored work area the lower side; here the west is the upper side. The Agency singles out this roof form as the feature of the house. Today the roof is covered in sheet metal.
Why It Was Registered
The Chiba Family Residence Main House became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003 under the criterion for buildings that serve as a model of design (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
In 2001 the house was structurally reinforced, insulated and made more airtight, and its services were replaced. The Agency calls the result "a good example of minka renewal", minka being the Japanese word for vernacular houses. Read closely, its description suggests a renovation that kept the roof form as the defining feature while bringing the building up to the standard of a modern home.
Registration followed 2 years after the work.
What to Look For at the Chiba Family Residence Main House
Compare the two ends of the roof. At the west end the slopes fall away on all sides; at the east end a small triangular gable appears above the hip. The outline changes as your eye moves along one ridge.
A photograph in the Ōshū City booklet shows a steep main roof clad in metal sheeting with a small secondary roof riding on the ridge. A gabled entrance porch projects from the front, and white walls are set between dark timbers. The pitch still recalls a thatched farmhouse, even under its newer covering.
Visiting the Chiba Family Residence Main House
The Chiba Family Residence Main House is privately owned (Ōshū City list of cultural properties), and no official information on open days or interior visits could be found. If you go, view the exterior from the public road and stay off the property. Take photographs from the road as well, keeping in mind that this is a home.
The nearest railway station is Kanegasaki on the JR Tōhoku Main Line, about 5 km from the house in a straight line. Rokuhara Station on the same line is about 5.8 km away. Both figures are calculated from map coordinates, and the distance by road is longer. No public source confirming a bus service was found, so a car or taxi is the practical choice.
Q&A
- When was the Chiba Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji period; a booklet by the Ōshū City Board of Education gives 1892.
- What is distinctive about the architecture of the Chiba Family Residence Main House?
- Its formerly thatched roof is hipped at the west end and hip-and-gable at the east end. The house measures 9.5 ken by 5.5 ken, with a 4-room plan and the entrance on the long side (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Why is the Chiba Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on March 18, 2003, as a model of design. The Agency describes its 2001 renovation as a good example of minka renewal.
- Can I visit the Chiba Family Residence Main House? Is the interior open?
- It is privately owned, and no official information on open days or interior visits could be found. View the exterior from the public road and do not enter the property.
- How do I get to the Chiba Family Residence Main House?
- The nearest station is Kanegasaki on the JR Tōhoku Main Line, about 5 km away in a straight line. The house is on National Route 456, and a car or taxi is the practical way to reach it.
Basic Information
| Name | Chiba Family Residence Main House (千葉家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 29 Ikari, Inase, Esashi Ward, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture (as written in the national register) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/03/18 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 228 m² (timber, 2 storeys, sheet-metal roof) |
| Owner | Private (per the Oshu City list of cultural properties) |
| Public Access | No information on public opening; exterior visible from the public road |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Chiba Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003184
- Cultural Heritage Online: Chiba Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/116064
- Oshu City official website: Cultural Properties of Oshu City, June 2025 (Japanese)
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/web_museum/shokai/1/4613.html
- Oshu City Board of Education, Cultural Properties of Oshu City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/material/files/group/79/4tourokuyuukeibunkazai.pdf
- Oshu City: List of Designated Cultural Properties and Facilities (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/material/files/group/79/6kensuuitiran-sisetuitiran.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.12