The Heart of the Compound
The Hamada Norihiro Family Residence Main House (濱田典彌家住宅主屋, Hamada Norihiro-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is the single-storey timber house built in 1934 at the center of the Hamada Norihiro family's compound in Otsu, Nahari Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 November 2004.
The Hamada Norihiro main house runs east to west and covers 116 square meters. In traditional units it measures 5.5 ken by 5 ken (a ken is roughly 1.8 meters). An Irimoya-zukuri entrance porch and a gabled toilet block project from its north side, and the kamaya, or kitchen wing, built the same year, is attached to its east face.
Why It Was Registered: A Roof Drawn with Care
The Hamada Norihiro Family Residence Main House was registered as a model of form, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs locates that quality in the roof.
The hip-and-gable roof is laid with Sangawara-buki tiles, and Geya lean-to roofs run around all four sides below it. The two tiers give a single-storey house a weighty, layered silhouette. According to the official description, the roof planes both swell outward and lift at the eaves, combining a gentle convex curve with an upturn.
In each gable sits a Kitsure-goshi latticed panel with a carved Gegyo hanging beneath, ornaments more often seen on temples and shrines. Their tidy use on a private house is what the Agency singles out.
Four Rooms and a Corner Parlor
Inside are four rooms. The finest is the eight-mat room in the southwest corner, fitted with a Tokonoma alcove and a shoin desk alcove, a corner room open to the south and west and set aside for receiving guests.
Placing the entrance on the north tells you how people came and went. The Hamada Norihiro Family Residence Main House keeps its south side for the parlor and garden, and pushes the entrance, toilet and kitchen wing to the north and east, a clear division between the formal front and the working back of the house.
Visiting
The Hamada Norihiro Family Residence Main House is not open to the public, and the interior cannot be seen. The owner field in the national database is blank. Please stay outside the property and keep any look from outside brief.
Because the house is single-storey and surrounded by its service wings and wall, it is not confirmed how much of the roof curve or the gable ornaments can actually be seen from the road. Directions and the layout of the whole compound are on the Hamada Norihiro Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
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Q&A
- When was the Hamada Norihiro Family Residence Main House built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1934. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 November 2004, under registration number 39-0177.
- Can I go inside the Hamada Norihiro main house?
- No. There is no public opening, and neither the house nor the grounds can be entered.
- What kind of building is the Hamada Norihiro Family Residence Main House?
- A single-storey timber house with a tiled hip-and-gable roof, covering 116 square meters, with lean-to roofs on all four sides and a porch and toilet block on the north.
- What should I look for on the Hamada Norihiro main house?
- The official description points to the curve and upturn of the roof and the latticed gables with hanging gegyo ornaments. It was registered as a model of form.
- Where is the formal room in the Hamada Norihiro Family Residence Main House?
- The eight-mat room in the southwest corner, with a tokonoma and a shoin alcove, served as the parlor.
Basic Information
| Name | Hamada Norihiro Family Residence Main House (濱田典彌家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1028-1 Otsu, Nahari-cho, Aki-gun, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 8 November 2004 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 116 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed (owner field blank in the ACA database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no public opening announced) |
References
- 濱田典彌家住宅主屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004463
- 濱田典彌家住宅主屋 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/184373
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), Kochi Prefecture
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
Last verified: 2026.10.01
