A Small Office on the East Side
The Goto Family Residence Office (五藤家住宅事務所, Gotō-ke Jūtaku Jimusho) is a single-storey timber office built in 1949 on the east side of 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 covers 17 square metres.
While the house and outbuildings cluster around the courtyard, the Goto Family Residence Office stands apart on the east side, a small building put up, as its name says, to serve as an office.
Construction and Significance
The entrance is on the north. The east wall is vertical board cladding with a latticed window; the south and west walls have board wainscoting below large glass windows. The narrow wall strips above are finished in Tosa plaster (tosa shikkui).
The roof is a hip-and-gable with a slight upward swell, the gentle convex curve Japanese carpenters call mukuri. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls this roof striking for so small a building. Putting a hip-and-gable roof, softened by that curve, on a 17-square-metre office gives it a standing within the compound. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the nation.
What to Look For
View the Goto Family Residence Office from the southwest to see its two faces. South and west are bright, with large windows over the wainscot; the east side is closed, boarded and latticed. It looks as if the building opens toward the inside of the grounds and turns a closed face to the outside.
Step back to read the roof. The small gable triangle and the swell of the mukuri toward the eaves are hard to see from close up.
Visiting the Office
The office stands on the east side of the Goto Family Aki Residence grounds. Entry is free and the exterior can be seen from inside the grounds. We could not confirm whether the interior is open; ask the Aki City Museum of History and Folklore, which manages the residence.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Goto Family Residence Office
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Q&A
- When was the Goto Family Residence Office built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1949.
- What should I look for at the Goto Family Residence Office?
- The hip-and-gable roof with a gentle mukuri curve sitting on a building of just 17 square metres, and the contrast between the large windows on the south and west and the latticed window on the east.
- Where is the Goto Family Residence Office?
- On the east side of the Goto Family Aki Residence grounds, standing apart from the other buildings.
- How big is the Goto Family Residence Office?
- It is a single-storey timber building with a building area of 17 square metres.
- Can I see inside the Goto Family Residence Office?
- City information does not say whether the interior is open. Ask the Aki City Museum of History and Folklore, which manages the Goto Family Aki Residence.
Basic Information
| Name | Goto Family Residence Office |
|---|---|
| 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 17 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
- 五藤家住宅事務所 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006938
- 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
