About the main house
The Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House is the late Edo-period main building of a merchant house on the old road through Otsu 1751, Nahari-cho, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, and was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on October 18, 2000.
In Japanese it is 濱田家住宅（旧増田屋）主屋 (Hamada-ke Jūtaku, kyū-Masudaya, shuoku). According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the business was founded in 1795 and ran a sake brewery and a pawnshop under the trading name Masudaya. The main house served as both shop and family home. It is registration No. 39-0014, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Why it was registered
The Masudaya main house is a 2-story timber building about 10 meters wide at the front and about 15 meters deep, with a building area of 167 square meters. Its Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof is laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, and it is entered on the long side (Hirairi), so the full length of the eaves faces the road. A Geya lean-to roof projects across the front.
The Agency points to the rows of Mizukiri-gawara on the west gable wall and across the upper front, and counts the Hamada Family Residence main house among the most representative merchant buildings in Nahari.
What to look for: the water-shedding tiles
Mizukiri-gawara are narrow tile ledges set in horizontal rows partway up a plastered wall. In typhoon-prone Tosa they break the sheets of rain running down the wall and keep the plaster from washing away. The number and length of the rows varied from house to house, and generous rows are also said to have signaled a family's standing.
On the Masudaya main house they appear on the west gable, where the triangle of the roof shows, and on the upper front wall facing the street. Count the lines of tile running across the second story and the care that went into the wall becomes clear.
There are two views on the date. The Agency places the building in the late Edo period (1830 to 1867), while a 2005 paper by architectural historian Yoichi Miura dates the main house to 1903. We found no source that settles the question.
Visiting
The Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House is a private home and its interior is not open to the public. Viewing is limited to what can be seen from the old road. Because the long front faces the street, the lean-to roof and the tiles on the upper front are easy to see.
How much of the west gable you can see depends on the neighboring buildings, so stay on the road rather than approaching the property, and keep doorways clear for the people who live here.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- How old is the Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House, and when was it registered?
- The Agency dates it to the late Edo period, and it was registered on October 18, 2000. A 2005 paper by Yoichi Miura gives a construction date of 1903.
- What kind of business was the Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya)?
- According to the Agency, it was a merchant house founded in 1795 that brewed sake and ran a pawnshop under the name Masudaya.
- How big is the Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House?
- It is a 2-story timber building with a gabled, pantiled roof, about 10 meters wide and 15 meters deep, with a building area of 167 square meters.
- What should I look for at the Masudaya main house of the Hamada Family Residence?
- The rows of mizukiri-gawara tiles on the west gable and the upper front wall, a Tosa device for shedding rain from plastered walls that the Agency singles out.
- Can I go inside the Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House?
- No. It is a private home and the interior is not open, but you can view the exterior from the old road.
Basic Information
| Name | Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 1751 Otsu, Nahari-cho, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered October 18, 2000 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-story timber structure, tiled roof, building area 167 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed (blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs database, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001964
- Hamada Family Residence (formerly Masudaya) Main House (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/114844
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) in Kochi Prefecture (Kochi Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
- Yoichi Miura, "A Historical Study on the Urban Space of the Country Town: A Case Study of Nahari Town in Kochi Prefecture," Journal of Home Economics of Japan 56(12), 2005
- https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jhej1987/56/12/56_12_909/_article/-char/ja
Last verified: 2026.10.16
