The Home of a Village Mountain Ascetic
The Tamonin Isawa Family Residence (多聞院伊澤家住宅) is the house of a village mountain ascetic of the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century in Wagacho Iwasawa, Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on September 11, 1990 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a house 20.4 metres by 11.2 metres under a thatched hipped roof, with two plans of the house, the village shrine of Kunato Shrine and three ridge tags designated with it; designation number 02244.
The House of a Settled Ascetic
According to the Agency, the Tamonin Isawa family were shugen, mountain ascetics who had settled in the village, and from the mid-Edo period they held sway in this area. The house is thatched under a hipped roof and contains a room called the dojo, laid out like a Buddhist chapel.
The Agency dates it to the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century. Designated with it are two plans of the house, three ridge tags and the village shrine of the Sennin Gongen, now Kunato Shrine, the base of the family's religious work.
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency calls it one of the few surviving homes of a village ascetic, and notes the value of the survival of the shrine that was the centre of the family's practice.
What to Look For
Look for the chapel-like dojo inside the house and the village shrine designated with it (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Kitakami City (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on opening or visits was found.
Q&A
- Who were the Tamonin Isawa family?
- Mountain ascetics who settled in the village and held sway in the area from the mid-Edo period.
- When was the house built?
- The Agency dates it to the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century.
- What is distinctive inside?
- A chapel-like room called the dojo (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What else is designated with it?
- Two house plans, the village shrine of Kunato Shrine and three ridge tags.
- When was the Tamonin Isawa Family Residence designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On September 11, 1990 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Tamonin Isawa Family Residence (多聞院伊澤家住宅) |
|---|---|
| Location | 9-48 Iwasawa, Wagacho, Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1990/09/11 (Heisei 2) |
| Quantity | 1 building (with 2 house plans, 1 village shrine and 3 ridge tags) |
| Dimensions | 20.4 m × 11.2 m, hipped thatched roof |
| Owner | Kitakami City |
| Public Access | No official information on opening |
References
- Tamonin Isawa Family Residence (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/103
Last verified: 2026.10.20