A 1930 Facade on the Old Highway
The Nagasaki Family Residence Main House (長﨑家住宅主屋, Nagasaki-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is the principal dwelling of a merchant family on the old highway through Hiketa, Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1930 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 28, 2011.
Of the six structures registered at the Nagasaki family's compound that day, this is the one that meets the street. It is a timber building of 1 storey with a 2-storey front block under a tiled roof, covering 148 square metres. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the front block as two storeys under an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof in heavy Hongawarabuki tiling, with a single wing added at the back toward the south under a lighter Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles.
Inside, the entrance Doma, an earthen-floored work and entry space, lies toward the south end, with the tatami Zashiki rooms to the north. You can read that split from the street: the door of the Nagasaki Family Residence Main House sits off-centre, toward the southern end of the facade.
Why It Was Registered
The main house was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. Hiketa's old highway is walked today as a streetscape of soy sauce breweries and merchant houses, and this facade fills one stretch of it.
The facade is the point. The ground floor has a projecting timber lattice, the upper floor is sealed in thick plaster walls carried right up under the eaves in Shikkui lime plaster, and the Agency's description draws attention to careful trowel work around the windows. Open timber below and closed white wall above: the two floors say different things to the street.
The storehouse behind dates from 1909, but the Nagasaki Family Residence Main House, the reception wing, the guest lavatory, the front fence and the earthen wall all date from 1930. The house and everything around its street front were built together.
What to Look For
Stand on the far side of the road to take in the whole front. The lattice on the ground floor pushes out toward the street, and above it the plaster runs unbroken to the eaves. Around each upper window the plaster is built up slightly proud of the wall and turned into a frame, which is the trowel work the Agency singles out.
Then look at the roof. The main block carries the heavier tiling of alternating round and flat tiles; the rear wing drops to the simpler pantile. The rear wing is hard to see from the street, but the weight of the front roof is plain from the pavement.
Facing the Nagasaki Family Residence Main House, the front gate and wooden fence run off to your right (north), and the earthen wall follows the side lane to your left (south). Compare the two and you have the logic of the whole property.
Visiting the Main House
This is a private residence, and no public opening of the interior could be confirmed during research for this article. The facade faces east, so a morning visit puts sun on the plaster and makes the trowelled window surrounds easier to read.
Photograph from the street only, and do not step onto the property or under the eaves; the space behind the lattice is part of someone's home.
Q&A
- When was the Nagasaki Family Residence Main House built?
- The Nagasaki Family Residence Main House was built in 1930. It is a timber house of 1 storey with a 2-storey front block and a tiled roof, covering 148 square metres, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 28, 2011.
- Can you go inside the Nagasaki Family Residence Main House?
- It is a private home, and no regular public opening of the interior could be confirmed. Visitors view the exterior from the old highway.
- What should I look at on the Nagasaki Family Residence Main House?
- The projecting timber lattice on the ground floor and the upper floor sealed in lime plaster to the eaves. The Agency for Cultural Affairs highlights the trowel work around the windows.
- Can I photograph the Nagasaki Family Residence Main House?
- Photograph the exterior from the public road. Avoid stepping onto the property or taking pictures that include the residents.
- Who built the Nagasaki Family Residence Main House?
- The Nagasaki family, merchants in Hiketa. According to the Hiketa town walking map on Higashikagawa City's tourism site, they traded in general goods in the Edo period and began brewing soy sauce in 1908. A storehouse from 1909 also survives on the property.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagasaki Family Residence Main House (長﨑家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2417-2 Hatakata, Hiketa, Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/10/28 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 148 square metres (timber, 1 storey with a 2-storey section, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Private (no owner named in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | No public opening of the interior confirmed; exterior visible from the old highway |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nagasaki Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009072
- Higashikagawa City: List of Designated and Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.higashikagawa.jp/soshikikarasagasu/shogaigakushuka/gyomuannai/8/1/1085.html
- Higashikagawa City Tourism Information: Hiketa Town Walking Map (PDF, Japanese)
- https://higashikagawa.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hiketa_map_k.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.24
