The Centre of the Estate
The Hatanaka Family Residence Main House (畠中家住宅主屋, Hatanaka-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a single-storey timber house of the early Meiji era standing at the centre of the Hatanaka family estate in Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2010. With a building area of 182 square metres it is the largest of the estate's nine registered items.
The registration covers the tiled single-storey house together with a two-storey kamaya, the kitchen wing at the back, and a small north storehouse attached to it. Every other building and gate on the plot is arranged around it.
A Classic Four-Room Plan
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the plan of the Hatanaka Family Residence Main House in some detail. The entrance and the family living room (chanoma) are on the west side, while the eastern half holds the formal reception room and its anteroom in a ta-no-ji layout, four rooms arranged two by two like the character 田. A broad veranda runs along the south front.
The record singles out the formal room: a high ceiling, a well-made Tokonoma alcove with its side alcove, and a bright, open feel. The best materials went into the room where guests were received. The registration criterion is a contribution to the historic landscape.
Roofs and Eaves
The Hatanaka Family Residence Main House faces south under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, with Hisashi pent eaves running all the way round. That second, lower eave line is what gives a single-storey house such a layered, substantial roof profile.
The two-storey kitchen wing at the back rises above the house, and west of it stands the tool storehouse. The national record notes that the kitchen wing and the storehouse together form a solid, heavy backdrop to the estate, a very different impression from the open south front.
Visiting
The Hatanaka Family Residence Main House is a private home and is not open. The formal room and alcove praised in the registration cannot be seen.
Because the house sits in the middle of the plot, well back from the main gate, expect to see little more than parts of its roofs and eaves above the walls. Please do not enter the grounds or peer in through the gate.
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Q&A
- Can I see inside the Hatanaka Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and not open to visitors, so the formal room and its alcove cannot be seen.
- When was the Hatanaka Family Residence Main House built and registered?
- The national record dates it to the early Meiji era, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 April 2010.
- What is the floor plan of the Hatanaka Family Residence Main House?
- The entrance and living room are on the west side, the formal room and anteroom are arranged in a four-room ta-no-ji grid in the east half, and a wide veranda runs along the south.
- How big is the Hatanaka Family Residence Main House?
- It is a single-storey timber house with a tiled roof and a building area of 182 square metres, including a two-storey kitchen wing and a north storehouse. The roof is gabled with pent eaves all round.
- Can the Hatanaka Family Residence Main House be seen from the road?
- Only partly. It stands in the middle of the plot behind the main gate, so you will see some of its roofs and eaves above the walls. Please stay outside the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Hatanaka Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 633 Higashitakazono, Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/4/28 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 182 square metres, with north storehouse and kitchen wing |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior from the road only) |
References
- 畠中家住宅主屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008207
Last verified: 2026.09.27
