What Is the Former Goto Family Residence?
The Former Goto Family Residence (旧後藤家住宅, Kyū-Gotō-ke Jūtaku) is a mid-Edo-period farmhouse, thought to date from around 1695, that now stands relocated in Mukaiyama Park in Iwayado, Esashi, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture; it was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan on 29 May 1965. Its official name, Former Goto Family Residence (from Hirose, Esashi City, Iwate Prefecture), records the village where it was first built.
The house originally stood in the Hirose district of Esashi. According to Oshu City, it was dismantled and moved to its present site during repairs carried out in 1966 and 1967, and restored to its original form. A gatehouse that once fronted the property was not rebuilt. Oshu City owns the house today.
The Goto house measures 21.5 m by 10.5 m, with a floor area of 232.9 m² in the city's figures. It is a single-storey building under a hipped roof in the Yosemune-zukuri style, thatched with grass (Kayabuki). Mukaiyama Park, where it now stands, is a hilltop with wide views close to the Iwayado town centre.
Why the Former Goto Family Residence Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it one of the oldest farmhouses in the Tōhoku region and singles out its earthen-floored work area, the Doma, as unusually archaic in structure. Oshu City spells this out: the doma takes up about half the building, and its posts stand in two rows, so that the core structure and the surrounding lean-to aisles, the Geya, each have their own supports. The city describes this arrangement as very rare.
The date comes from the ground. During the dismantling, workers found fragments of a sasatōba, a thin wooden memorial tablet, at the bottom of a post hole, inscribed with the eighth year of Genroku, or 1695. Oshu City dates the house to about that time. The national database labels the period "mid-Edo" while another city document says "around the early Edo period"; both point to the Genroku era at the end of the 17th century.
The Goto house is also a textbook example of the sugoya, the straight, rectangular farmhouse typical of the old Sendai (Date) domain in southern Iwate. In the former Nanbu domain to the north, farmers instead built the L-shaped magariya, joining house and stable at a right angle. The Former Goto Family Residence is valued as an early, well-preserved representative of the southern type.
What to See at the Goto House
Inside, start with the posts of the doma. Walking between the inner and outer rows, you can see how the builders carried the central roof and the lean-to edges on separate sets of timbers, the feature that earned the Former Goto Family Residence its designation.
The earthen floor itself is striking for its size. It served for farm work, cooking and indoor jobs through the long winters, and it is far larger than modern visitors expect. Compare it with the raised, floored living rooms beside it, and the share of the house given over to work becomes obvious.
Then step outside and look at the long side of the building. The thatch runs unbroken along all 21.5 m, which is exactly what distinguishes a sugoya from an L-shaped magariya.
Visiting the Former Goto Family Residence
Oshu City opens the Former Goto Family Residence on weekdays from 20 March to 15 November, by reservation only, during 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00. Admission is free. The city lists no weekend or winter openings, so book well ahead through Oshu City; the contact given on its page is the Historical Heritage Division (tel. 0197-34-1315). Photography rules are not published, so ask when you reserve.
Mukaiyama Park is about 15 minutes by car from Mizusawa-Esashi Station on the Tōhoku Shinkansen. The city does not describe a public-transport route, so plan on a car or taxi.
Q&A
- How old is the Former Goto Family Residence, and when was it designated?
- A memorial tablet fragment found in a post hole is inscribed with a date of 1695, and the house is thought to date from about then. It was designated an Important Cultural Property on 29 May 1965.
- Why does the Former Goto Family Residence's official name mention Hirose?
- The house was built in the Hirose district of Esashi. It was moved to Mukaiyama Park during repairs in 1966 and 1967.
- What is a sugoya, and how does the Goto house differ from a magariya?
- A sugoya is a straight, rectangular farmhouse common in the former Sendai domain. The magariya of the former Nanbu domain bends into an L to join house and stable.
- Can I go inside the Former Goto Family Residence, and is there a fee?
- Yes, on weekdays from 20 March to 15 November with an advance reservation, during 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00. Admission is free.
- How do I get to the Former Goto Family Residence?
- It is in Mukaiyama Park in Iwayado, Esashi, about 15 minutes by car from Mizusawa-Esashi Station on the Tōhoku Shinkansen.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Goto Family Residence (from Hirose, Esashi City, Iwate Prefecture) (旧後藤家住宅) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Mukaiyama, Iwayado, Esashi Ward, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture (in Mukaiyama Park) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1965 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 21.5 m by 10.5 m (Oshu City: 21.54 m by 10.53 m, floor area 232.9 m²) |
| Owner | Oshu City |
| Public Access | Weekdays, 20 March to 15 November, by reservation (10:00–12:00, 13:00–17:00; free) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Goto Family Residence
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/105
- Oshu City: Former Goto Family Residence (Esashi)
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/kanko/osusume/4/3/3155.html
- Oshu City: Designated Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), PDF
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/material/files/group/79/1yuukeibunkazai.pdf
- Oshu City: Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/kanko_bunka_sports/rekishi_bunkazai/1/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.05