Goyashiki: The Inoue Family Estate in Mure
Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence), written 郷屋敷（旧井上家住宅） in Japanese, is the estate of the Inoue family in Mure-cho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, where 15 buildings and walls completed between the early Meiji era and 1935 were entered on the national register as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 12, 2001.
The Inoue family settled here in the mid-Edo period, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an old family of that standing. According to the Goyashiki website, the first head of the house was named Ryujiro. The fourth head, Hanzaburo Yoshikatsu, was appointed yoriki (an assisting officer) by the Takamatsu domain, allowed to bear a surname and wear swords, and charged with administration and policing in Mure Omachi village. Local people have long called the property the Yoriki Yashiki, the yoriki's mansion.
Of the 15 registered structures, 13 date from the early Meiji era, the first years after 1868, while the detached parlor and the connecting corridor were added in 1935. Today Goyashiki operates as a restaurant serving Sanuki udon and multi-course kaiseki meals. What makes the Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) group unusual is that the change of use left the whole compound intact, storehouses and boundary walls included.
How the Goyashiki Compound Is Laid Out
The Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) compound faces a prefectural road to the south. Along the street frontage, reading east to west, stand the East Storehouse, the Rice Storehouse, the Front Gate and the Storehouse. The Main House, with a regular eight-room plan, occupies the center of the site. North of it, across a courtyard, sits the Detached Parlor, joined to the Main House by the Connecting Corridor, and a covered passage links the northeast corner of the Main House to the Former Bathhouse.
On the north boundary, the North Storehouse East and North Storehouse West stand wall to wall and mark the edge of the rice paddies beyond. The long West Storehouse, once used for timber, runs north-south midway along the west side. Earthen walls known as neribei close the perimeter: the East Earthen Wall bends around the east and north sides for about 72 meters, the West Earthen Wall covers about 18 meters of the southwest, and the Middle Earthen Wall runs about 14 meters through the rear garden behind the Detached Parlor. South of the Main House, a little to the east, the Middle Gate and its flanking walls divide the front garden from the south garden.
The registration criteria split the group neatly. Eight structures (the Main House, the East, West and two North storehouses, and the three earthen walls) were listed for contributing to the historic landscape. Five (the Detached Parlor, Connecting Corridor, Former Bathhouse, Front Gate and Middle Gate) were listed as models of design, and two (the Rice Storehouse and the Storehouse) as structures that would be difficult to reproduce.
Walking Through Goyashiki
The route described on the Goyashiki website is the best way to read the Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) plan. Past the Front Gate, granite paving stones lead off in both directions. Turn left and walk parallel to the Storehouse; about halfway along, the path turns at a right angle toward the Main House entrance. The house is never visible straight through the gate, and that single turn gives the compound its sense of depth.
The grounds are divided into front, south, rear and west gardens, with the Middle Gate and the earthen walls acting as the dividers. Different dining rooms look onto different gardens, so it helps to note which one is outside your window.
On the way out, step back onto the road and look again. The row of storehouses and the gate along the street is the view of Goyashiki that anyone can see from outside.
Visiting Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence)
Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) is a working restaurant rather than a museum, so there is no admission desk or entry fee; entering the buildings means coming for a meal. The website lists opening hours of 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with last orders 30 minutes before each closing time. During New Year, Obon and Golden Week the restaurant stays open continuously between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. There is no regular closing day, although the year-end holiday varies.
Private rooms must be reserved and carry a room charge of 1,000 to 3,000 yen. Reservations and questions go to 087-845-9211. The website says nothing about photography, so ask the staff before taking pictures indoors and keep other diners out of the frame.
The nearest station is Omachi on the Kotoden Shido Line; the Shikoku Shimbun restaurant guide puts it about 5 minutes away by car. The site has its own parking, and from central Takamatsu a car or taxi is the practical option. Details on how each building can be seen are given on the individual building pages.
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002444
- Cultural Heritage Online: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/115324
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Detached Parlor
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002445
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Connecting Corridor
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002446
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Former Bathhouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002447
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Front Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002454
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Middle Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002455
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002452
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002451
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) East Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002450
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) West Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002453
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) North Storehouse East
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002448
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) North Storehouse West
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002449
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) East Earthen Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002457
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) West Earthen Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002458
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Database: Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) Middle Earthen Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002456
- Goyashiki official website: About Goyashiki
- https://goyashiki.co.jp/about/
- Goyashiki official website: Access
- https://goyashiki.co.jp/access/
- Shikoku Shimbun, Sanuki Udon Henro: Goyashiki Honten
- https://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/udon/shop/67
Last verified: 2026.09.16
Basic Information
| Name | Goyashiki (Former Inoue Family Residence) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1987 Omachi, Mure-cho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (15) |
| Coordinates | 34.33039, 134.13590 |
