A Mid-Edo Farmhouse in the Hills of Kiriyama
The Manabe Family Residence (真鍋家住宅, Manabe-ke jūtaku) is a mid-Edo-period farmhouse in the Kiriyama district of Yamadai, Kinsei-cho, Shikokuchuo City, Ehime Prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property on June 17, 1970. Its official name, Manabe Family Residence (Kinsei-cho, Kawanoe City, Ehime Prefecture), still carries the name of Kawanoe City, which merged into Shikokuchuo in 2004.
According to the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education, Kiriyama lies near the middle of the hills east of JR Kawanoe Station, close to the Kagawa border, at about 250 m above sea level, and has long been known as a refuge of fugitives from the defeated Heike (Taira) clan. The plot runs long from east to west with a low hill at its back to the south, and the house stands toward the southern edge facing north.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the house as 10.1 m by 5.8 m, a single storey under a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Kayabuki thatch. Ehime Prefecture gives 5 ken (10.3 m) by 3 ken (6.1 m) and a floor area of 58.59 square metres, a small difference that probably reflects how it was measured. Shikokuchuo City describes the building area as about 60 square metres.
Why It Matters
The Manabe Family Residence was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1970. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it one of the very oldest farmhouses in Ehime: small, with roughly a quarter of the floor area of the Watanabe Family Residence in Matsuyama, yet well built for its time. Like other early houses it is strongly closed in, walled on three sides with Ōkabe plaster that covers the posts.
Sources disagree on its age. The national record places it in the mid-Edo period, in the early 18th century. Ehime Prefecture dates it to the early Edo period, around the mid-17th century, and calls it a very old survivor not only for the prefecture but for Japan as a whole. Tourism listings go further and call it the oldest farmhouse in Ehime.
The plan is a type known as naka-nema three-room layout. Two rooms, the Mae and the Oku, line the earthen-floored Doma (here called the niwa), and an 8-mat zashiki lies beyond them. The gable ends and back wall are entirely sealed in clay, and Ehime Prefecture regards this closed form as the prototype of farmhouses in eastern Ehime (Toyo) and a key early type for Shikoku.
What to Look For
From outside, the first thing you notice is how little opens. A deep thatched roof slopes down on all four sides, and the gable ends and rear are almost blank walls: this is the closed character that the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out. Stand in front of the north-facing entrance to see the bulk of the roof against the low walls.
Inside, the ceiling and posts are black and glossy from smoke. Ehime's official tourism site explains that the naka-no-ma room has a split-bamboo floor covered with straw mats, and that the Irori hearth is still lit so the smoke can disinfect the timbers, keep insects away and preserve the roof.
The thatch was fully renewed in 2019, the first complete rethatching since 1979, in a project of about a year that also replaced the mats in the naka-no-ma, according to Shikokuchuo City. The house is looked after by the 16th head of the Manabe family. On February 16, 2026, about 20 people, including the owner, neighbours and firefighters, held a fire drill at the house (Shikokuchuo City).
Visiting the Manabe Family Residence
Visitors can go inside. According to Ehime Prefecture's official tourism site, Iyokan-net, the Manabe Family Residence is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with no closing days, and admission is 200 yen. There is free parking for 10 cars at a small roadside park on Prefectural Road 9, and the Manabe family's phone number (0896-58-8078) is listed for enquiries.
Official listings give directions only as far as the car park and do not describe a bus route, so plan on driving or taking a taxi from the Kawanoe area. No public guidance on photography was found; ask on site before taking pictures indoors.
Q&A
- How old is the Manabe Family Residence?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Edo period (early 18th century); Ehime Prefecture places it around the mid-17th century.
- When was the Manabe Family Residence designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On June 17, 1970.
- Can you go inside the Manabe Family Residence, and what are the hours and fee?
- Yes. Ehime's official tourism site lists 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., no closing days, and a fee of 200 yen.
- What is unusual about the Manabe Family Residence's layout?
- It has a naka-nema three-room plan, with the Mae and Oku rooms beside the earthen floor and an 8-mat zashiki behind, enclosed by clay-sealed gable and rear walls.
- Is there parking at the Manabe Family Residence?
- Yes, free parking for 10 cars at a small park on Prefectural Road 9.
Basic Information
| Name | Manabe Family Residence (Kinsei-cho, Kawanoe City, Ehime Prefecture) (真鍋家住宅) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2030-2 Yamadai, Kinsei-cho, Shikokuchuo City, Ehime Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1970/6/17 (Showa 45) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 10.1 m by 5.8 m, hipped roof, thatched |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Interior open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., no closing days, 200 yen |
References
- Manabe Family Residence (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/3381
- Manabe Family Residence (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/147078
- Manabe Family Residence (Ehime no Bunkazai, Ehime Prefectural Board of Education)
- https://www.pref.ehime.jp/ehimenotakara/21.html
- Thatched roof of the Manabe Family Residence fully renewed for the first time in 40 years (Shikokuchuo City)
- https://www.city.shikokuchuo.ehime.jp/site/machinowadai/2487.html
- Fire drill at the Manabe Family Residence (Shikokuchuo City)
- https://www.city.shikokuchuo.ehime.jp/site/machinowadai/55685.html
- Manabe Family Residence (Iyokan-net, Ehime Prefecture official tourism site)
- https://www.iyokannet.jp/spot/2227
Last verified: 2026.10.05