An Early Meiji House in the Samurai Manner
The Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House (鮫島博家住宅主屋, Sameshima Hiroshi-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is an early Meiji-period single-storey timber samurai house in the Kaseda Fumoto district of Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 13 August 2012. It stands toward the north of its plot, facing south-west, with a building area of 169 square metres.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji period, 1868 to 1882; the Japan Heritage description gives around 1877. That is only a few years after the samurai class was abolished. The house has been renovated several times, most recently in 1999, yet the Agency still describes the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House as preserving the samurai-house type of Kaseda.
A Two-Tier Roof and Six Rooms
The roof is hipped and gabled, in the Irimoya-zukuri manner, and covered in Sangawara-buki pantiles, with a lower lean-to roof, or Geya, running all the way around the house. Seen from outside, the roofline steps down in two tiers.
The entrance sits at the centre of the south-west front, with 6 rooms arranged behind it, giving the facade a clear central axis.
The interior is where the house shows its refinement. The walls are finished in red earth plaster, described in the Japan Heritage text as vermilion, and beside the alcove in the inner reception room, in the Tokowaki recess, a window is cut in the shape of a gunbai, the fan a commander used to direct troops. The Agency sums up the interior as refined.
The tourism association's walking map describes the house as unusually well preserved in its early Meiji form, solidly built, with particularly fine kitchen beams. The listing was made under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Notice
The celebrated features of the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House, the red walls and the fan-shaped window, are indoors, and the interior is not open. From the lane, what you can look for is the silhouette of the big hipped-and-gabled roof above its lower skirt, rising behind the stone wall and hedge.
Visiting
This is a private home, and no public or special openings are announced (checked September 2026). Because it stands deep in the lot, only the wall, the hedge and a glimpse through the gate can be seen from the street. Please stay off the property and avoid photographing the family's daily life. Directions to the district are given on the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji period, 1868 to 1882, and the Japan Heritage description to around 1877. It was registered on 13 August 2012.
- What is special about the interior of the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House?
- Its rooms have red earth-plaster walls, and the inner reception room has a window shaped like a war fan beside the alcove. Six rooms are arranged behind a central entrance.
- Can visitors go inside the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and no openings are announced (checked September 2026).
- How is the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence different from the Sameshima Family Residence?
- They are separate households of the same surname in Kaseda Fumoto. The Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence has four early Meiji listings; the Sameshima Family Residence, about 120 metres to the west, has seven late Meiji listings.
- What does the roof of the Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House look like?
- It is a hipped-and-gabled pantiled roof with a lower lean-to roof running all around the house, so the roofline steps down in two tiers.
Basic Information
| Name | Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House (鮫島博家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 17824-1 Kaseda Takeda, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 46-0102 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2012/8/13 (Heisei 24) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single-storey, tiled roof; building area 169 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual (not published) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009410
- Japan Heritage Portal, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence
- https://www.japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/4680/
- Satsuma Samurai Towns Japan Heritage Council: Sameshima Hiroshi Family Residence
- https://kagoshima-fumoto.jp/minamisatsuma/%E9%AE%AB%E5%B3%B6%E5%8D%9A%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85/
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Minamisatsuma-shi Kaseda Fumoto
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/103/00000125
- Satsuma Samurai Towns Japan Heritage Council: Kaseda Fumoto
- https://kagoshima-fumoto.jp/minamisatsuma/
- Minamisatsuma Tourism Association: Kaseda Fumoto walking map (PDF)
- https://kanko-minamisatsuma.jp/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/feature-kasedamachiaruki.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.25
