A Sleeping House for the Young
Tottori Family Residence Hiya (鳥取家住宅比屋, Tottori-ke Jūtaku Hiya) is a late-Meiji outbuilding in Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 October 2021.
It is a small two-storey building west of the Main House and just north of the Rear Zashiki. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, hiya is the local word for a detached building where the younger members of a family slept. The gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) in Sangawara-buki tile runs east to west, a lean-to (Geya) drops from the north eaves, and a small open veranda is attached on the west. It covers 37 square metres.
The official record dates it to the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912, with renovation in 2010. The owner's website places it in the same building phase as the Storehouse and the Rear Zashiki, to which it is joined by a covered walkway.
Why It Was Registered: A Trace of How People Lived
The Tottori Family Residence Hiya was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the official description values it as evidence of a regional custom in domestic life.
Sending a large household's young people to sleep in a separate building was once common, but the buildings themselves rarely survive: once the custom fades, they are pulled down or put to other uses. Here the practice is still legible in timber and clay.
The walls are Shinkabe, with the posts left visible, and the clay is left at the middle coat without a finishing skim. The roof is framed on sloping beams. The interior was later converted into Western-style rooms.
What to Look For
The Hiya is easy to overlook among the larger buildings. Look for its unfinished clay walls, a warmer and rougher tone than the plastered buildings nearby, and its tall, narrow proportions.
The west veranda and north lean-to give the little building more depth than its footprint suggests, and the walkway from the Rear Zashiki shows how it was tied into the family's daily routine.
Visiting
The Tottori Family Residence Hiya is part of a private home and its interior is not open. The owner's website gives no public visiting information, so contact the owner in advance. No photography rules are posted.
The history of the compound and visiting conditions are covered on the Tottori Family Residence page.
Q&A
- What does hiya mean at the Tottori Family Residence Hiya?
- It is a local term for a detached building where the younger members of a family slept, as the Agency for Cultural Affairs explains.
- Can visitors see the Tottori Family Residence Hiya?
- Its interior is not open. There is no public visiting information, so contact the owner in advance.
- When was the Tottori Family Residence Hiya built?
- In the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912. It was renovated in 2010, and the interior now has Western-style rooms.
- Why was the Tottori Family Residence Hiya registered?
- As rare physical evidence of a local custom in family life, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
- Where is the Tottori Family Residence Hiya?
- West of the Main House and just north of the Rear Zashiki, to which it is joined by a covered walkway.
Basic Information
| Name | Tottori Family Residence Hiya |
|---|---|
| Location | 1764 Kasada Kasaoka Goemon, Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 37-0456 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 37 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; contact the owner in advance) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Tottori Family Residence Hiya
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014101
- Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Kagawa
- https://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/kenkyoui/shogaigakushu/bunkazai/culturalassets/culturalassets_16.html
- Guesthouse Kachoen, official site of the owner
- https://www.kachoen.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
