A Two-Storey House of 1930
The Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House, in Japanese 旧千田正家住宅主屋, is a two-storey timber house of 1930 in Mikajiri, Kanegasaki Town, Iwate Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 27, 2018 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a metal roof and a building area of 92 square metres; its registration number is 03-104, in the 89th round of registrations. It stands in the grounds of the town-run Chida Tadashi Memorial Hall and was registered on the same day as the storehouse beside it and the Western-style building from the Iwate governor's residence (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
A Plan Built Around the Reception Rooms
The Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House faces south. On the ground floor a 10-mat zashiki reception room sits beside a 7.5-mat anteroom, with verandas wrapping the south and west sides. The dining room and entrance are gathered at the east end, and the upper floor has two more tatami rooms (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The rooms for receiving guests take the bright south-west corner, while the everyday entrance and dining space are grouped to the east. The roof is laid in small metal plates set diagonally, a method called hishibuki (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House as a model of design, and the reason lies in the exterior. The eaves are boarded flat with no rafters showing, and the lower walls of the eastern half are rendered in mortar and pierced by a round window. The Agency describes the result as an exterior that harmonises Japanese and Western elements.
Inside, the plan keeps the familiar pairing of zashiki and anteroom, while Western materials and details appear on the outer skin. The house was built in 1930, three years after Chida Tadashi, whose name it carries, graduated from an American college (Kotobank, Dictionary of Japanese Politicians).
What to Look For
Walk round to the east side first to see the mortar band and the round window; against the timber above, it is easy to tell where the Western-style finish begins. Then look up at the eaves and notice the flat boarding where rafter ends would normally show.
The diamond-pattern metal roof picks up light differently as you move around it. In front of the zashiki, you can see how the verandas on two sides open the room to the south and west.
Visiting
The Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House stands in the grounds of the Chida Tadashi Memorial Hall and can be seen on the hall's opening days. According to Internet Museum, admission is free and the hall opens from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (checked November 2026).
The hall opens only from spring to autumn. No official information was found on how much of the interior is open or whether photography is allowed, so check with the hall before visiting.
Q&A
- Where is the Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House?
- In the grounds of the Chida Tadashi Memorial Hall in Mikajiri, Kanegasaki Town, Iwate Prefecture (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House built?
- In 1930 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is special about the Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House?
- A traditional plan of zashiki and anteroom with verandas on the south and west, wrapped in an exterior with boarded eaves, mortar-rendered lower walls on the eastern half and a round window (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who was Chida Tadashi, the name behind the Former Chida Tadashi Residence?
- A politician born in Iwate Prefecture in 1899, who served three terms in the House of Councillors from 1947 and four terms, 16 years, as Governor of Iwate from 1963 (Kotobank, Dictionary of Japanese Politicians).
- When was the Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House registered?
- On March 27, 2018 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House (旧千田正家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 98 Mikajiri Yachinaka, Kanegasaki Town, Isawa District, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/03/27 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, metal roof, building area 92 m² |
| Owner | Kanegasaki Town |
| Public Access | Open on Chida Tadashi Memorial Hall opening days (free) |
References
- Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012084
- Former Chida Tadashi Residence Main House (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/431803
- Chida Tadashi (Kotobank, Dictionary of Japanese Politicians, Japanese)
- https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8D%83%E7%94%B0%E6%AD%A3-1676976
- Chida Tadashi Memorial Hall (Internet Museum, Japanese)
- https://www.museum.or.jp/museum/657
Last verified: 2026.11.12
