The Villa of the Former Lords of Morioka
The Former Nanbu Family Villa Main House (旧南部家別邸主屋) is the villa of a former daimyo family of 1908 in Atagocho, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 24, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 453 square metres, altered in 1980; registration number 03-0083.
The Villa of the Nanbu Family
According to Morioka City, the villa was built in 1908 for the Nanbu family, former lords of the Morioka domain who became peers after the Meiji Restoration, and its design was supervised by Kasai Manji, co-designer of Tokyo Station and of the old head office of the Morioka Bank. It later served as a prefectural and then a city cultural hall and as the city community centre, taking its present form after alterations in 1980.
The single-storey building faces south under a hipped pantile roof, with a grand hip-and-gable entrance at the centre of its front (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the contrasting front: Japanese weatherboarding and a projecting lattice window west of the entrance, Western clapboarding and round-arched sash windows to the east, with fine Japanese and Western details inside as well; it was registered as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look at how the front changes from Japanese to Western on either side of the entrance (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Morioka City notes that the former Nanbu villa garden, a registered monument laid out at the same time, is a stroll garden designed above all to be viewed from the villa's great hall.
Visiting
According to Morioka City, the villa serves as an annex of the Central Community Centre and is rented out for activities such as the tea ceremony and calligraphy. It can be seen together with the former Nakamura family house, an Important Cultural Property, and the villa garden on the same grounds.
Q&A
- When was the villa built?
- In 1908 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Morioka City).
- Who designed it?
- Its design was supervised by Kasai Manji, co-designer of Tokyo Station (Morioka City).
- What should I look for?
- The front, Japanese on one side of the entrance and Western on the other.
- How is it used today?
- As an annex of the Morioka Central Community Centre, for cultural activities.
- When was the Former Nanbu Family Villa Main House registered?
- On December 24, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nanbu Family Villa Main House (旧南部家別邸主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 468-1 Atagocho and others, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/12/24 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 453 m² |
| Owner | Morioka City |
| Public Access | In use as a community centre annex (Morioka City) |
References
- Former Nanbu Family Villa Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009695
- Conservation plan for the Morioka Central Community Centre heritage (Morioka City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.morioka.iwate.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/048/506/hozonkeikaku.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.20