The Youngest Building in the Compound
The Goto Family Residence Annex (五藤家住宅付属屋, Gotō-ke Jūtaku Fuzokuya) is a single-storey timber building completed in 1954 in the Gotō family compound on the Aki Castle site in Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, and entered on the national register of Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2008. It is the newest of the seven registered structures.
It stands north of the main house's kitchen wing, ridge running east to west, and covers 40 square metres under a gabled pantile roof. On the west end, a toilet and a kitchen are attached as two separate small wings, each under its own roof.
Layout and Significance
The Goto Family Residence Annex has two rooms side by side, four and a half mats and three mats, with an open veranda on the south. With its own kitchen and toilet, it works as a small self-contained dwelling. We found no primary source recording who lived in it or how it was used when built.
The north wall is clad in vertical boards painted black, with a projecting bay window. The annex was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the nation: though postwar, it belongs to the row of service buildings along the north side of the compound and reads as part of one scene with the Meiji-era main house.
What to Look For
The black boarding of the north wall is the annex's signature. In a compound where most walls are white plaster, this dark face stands out, broken only by the bay window. Walk to the north side of the grounds and you see the Goto Family Residence Annex, the storage shed and the barn lined up east to west, with the black boards holding the view together.
At the west end, the kitchen and toilet wings step down from the main gable at different heights and angles, so from the west you see three small roofs stacked one against another.
Visiting the Annex
The annex stands toward the north of the Goto Family Aki Residence grounds, north of the main house's kitchen wing. Entry is free and the exterior can be seen from inside the grounds. We could not confirm whether the interior is open, so check with the Aki City Museum of History and Folklore, which manages the residence.
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Q&A
- When was the Goto Family Residence Annex built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1954, making it the newest of the seven registered structures at the Goto Family Residence.
- What kind of building is the Goto Family Residence Annex?
- A single-storey timber building with two rooms of four and a half and three mats, plus a separate toilet and kitchen on the west. The north wall is black-painted vertical boarding with a bay window.
- Can I visit the Goto Family Residence Annex?
- It stands inside the Goto Family Aki Residence, where admission is free, and the exterior can be seen from the grounds. Ask the museum that manages the residence whether the interior is open.
- Where is the Goto Family Residence Annex?
- Toward the north of the Goto Family Aki Residence grounds, just north of the main house's kitchen wing, with the storage shed and barn to its east.
- What is distinctive about the north wall of the Goto Family Residence Annex?
- It is clad in black-painted vertical boards with a single bay window, a dark face that stands out in a compound of mostly white plaster walls.
Basic Information
| Name | Goto Family Residence Annex |
|---|---|
| Location | 955 Doiato, Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/3/7 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 40 square metres |
| Owner | Aki City |
| Public Access | Open as the Goto Family Aki Residence, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays, free admission |
References
- 五藤家住宅付属屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006940
- Aki City Doi Kachu Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings (Aki City)
- https://www.city.aki.kochi.jp/life/dtl.php?hdnKey=1381
- Aki City Goto Family Aki Residence Ordinance (Aki City)
- https://www.city.aki.kochi.jp/reiki/reiki_honbun/o304RG00000834.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
