What Is the Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building?
The Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building (佐藤家住宅西洋館, Satō-ke Jūtaku Seiyōkan) is a two-storey timber Western-style house built in 1924 on the Yokoya Sake Brewery and Sato Family Residence site in Senmaya, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003.
It stands on the east side of the Main House, facing southwest, with a building area of 93 square metres. The two buildings connect on the ground floor. The hipped roof is covered in ordinary Japanese interlocking pantiles; the Western touches are in the eaves and the walls.
Why It Was Registered
The registration criterion is that the building serves as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs praises the way Western details sit comfortably within a simple exterior, together with walls of namako-kabe made with slate. Its registration number is 03-0033.
The date places it a little over a decade after 1912, the year the Sato family is said to have founded the Yokoya brewery. Having taken over the Main House of 1901, the family added this Western wing of their own, one of a run of Taisho-era improvements that also produced the New Storehouse (1922) and the Document Storehouse (1923).
The operator, Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd., passes on a tradition that an architect it names as 小原友輔, a pupil of Tokyo Station designer Tatsuno Kingo, had a hand in the Main House and this building. The Agency's records name no designer, so treat the attribution as local lore.
What to Look For
From the front, the entrance canopy comes first. Above it, a copper-roofed drip hood runs all the way around the eaves and rises into a triangle at the centre of the façade, a nod to the pediment of a classical temple front. One classical sign on a Japanese tiled hip roof: Western style, lightly applied.
The walls are namako-kabe, a Japanese storehouse technique of flat tiles set in plaster with raised white joints, here built with natural slate instead of clay tiles. A storehouse method and a Western material meet in a single wall, and that is what makes the Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building worth a close look.
Compare it with the Main House next door. The two are parts of one home, yet their wall materials and rooflines could hardly differ more. Look for the point where they join to see the Meiji Japanese house meet the Taisho Western wing.
Visiting
The Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building is part of the Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility. The operator names the Main House and the Western-style building as highlights and says the whole facility can be visited free of charge. The exterior can be seen from the grounds on opening days; which rooms are open varies, since spaces are hired out for events, so follow the signs on site and, if unsure, ask Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd. (tel. 0191-53-2070). Directions, opening days and hours are on the page for the Yokoya Sake Brewery and Sato Family Residence.
Q&A
- When was the Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building built?
- In 1924. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 31, 2003.
- What kind of building is the Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building?
- A two-storey timber house with a tiled hipped roof and a building area of 93 square metres, standing east of the Main House and joined to it on the ground floor.
- What should I look for at the Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building?
- The copper-roofed drip hood around the eaves, raised into a pediment-like triangle at the centre, and the namako-kabe walls built with slate.
- Who designed the Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building?
- The operator reports a tradition that an architect named 小原友輔, a pupil of Tatsuno Kingo, was involved. The Agency's records do not name a designer.
- Can you visit the Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building?
- Yes, free of charge on opening days as part of the Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility. Which rooms are open depends on events, so follow the signs on site.
Basic Information
| Name | Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building (佐藤家住宅西洋館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 134 Kitakata, Senmaya, Senmaya-cho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/1/31 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 93 square metres |
| Owner | Ichinoseki City |
| Public Access | Open free of charge on opening days (accessible rooms vary with events) |
References
- Sato Family Residence Western-Style Building, Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003022
- Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility (Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd.)
- https://sakenokura.com/wp/kura/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
