The House at the Centre of the Compound
The Higashiyama Family Residence Main House (東山家住宅主屋) is a town house of about 1905 in Nahari Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on January 31, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 175 square metres; registration number 39-0067.
The main house is the centrepiece of the compound: it stands in the middle of town a short way south of the national highway, its ridge running north to south and its front facing the street to the west (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
A Town House with a Low Upper Floor
The Higashiyama Family Residence Main House measures 5 and a half bays along the ridge by 6 bays deep, under a hip-and-gable roof of pantiles (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A family room, the chanoma, is added on the east side and a kitchen wing, the kamaya, on the south.
The Agency's record lists the structure as single-storey timber, while its description calls the house tsushi-nikai. A tsushi-nikai is a low upper floor, used for storage or sleeping, that puts a town house somewhere between a single-storey and a full two-storey building in height; the two entries seem to describe the same in-between form from different sides.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Higashiyama Family Residence Main House for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its description points to the slatted lattice on the upper, northern end of the front, and to the tsushi upper floor, finished to show its timber framing, with a distinctive window at its centre. It is the face the house turns to the street that the registration recognises.
What to Look For
Start on the street to the west. At the northern end of the front, slatted lattice fills the openings; above it the low upper floor shows posts and beams in the wall, with a single window at its centre (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency calls that window distinctive, and its shape is worth seeing for yourself.
The roof is hip-and-gable, laid with pantiles. The family room and the kitchen wing are attached at the back and side of the house.
Visiting
No official information was found on access to the interior of the Higashiyama Family Residence Main House. Because the house faces the street to the west, the latticed front and the upper-floor window can be seen from the road. Please stay off the property and view it from the street.
Q&A
- When was the Higashiyama Family Residence Main House built?
- In about 1905 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What kind of building is the Higashiyama Family Residence Main House?
- A town house with a hip-and-gable pantiled roof and a low tsushi upper floor, with a family room to the east and a kitchen wing to the south.
- What should I look for at the Higashiyama Family Residence Main House?
- The lattice at the northern end of the front and the distinctive window in the middle of the upper floor.
- Can I go inside the Higashiyama Family Residence Main House?
- No official information on interior access was found; the front can be seen from the street to the west.
- When was the Higashiyama Family Residence Main House registered?
- On January 31, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Higashiyama Family Residence Main House (東山家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | Otsu 1281-2, Nahari Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/01/31 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 175 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | Exterior from the street (no information on interior access) |
References
- Higashiyama Family Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003163
- Higashiyama Family Residence Main House (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/183073
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures), Towns and Villages (Kochi Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2024031100049/
Last verified: 2026.10.19
