A Late Edo House on the Old Road
The Nishio Family Residence Main House (西尾家住宅主屋, Nishio-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a late Edo-period former inn facing the old road through Nahari, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 October 2000. It is a single-storey timber building with a partial second storey and a tiled roof, covering 124 square metres.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Nishio Family Residence Main House as a former hatagoya, a traveller's inn, and dates it broadly to 1830 to 1867. It is the only Edo-period part of the property; the other five registered items are early Taisho. Its registration number, 39-0020, heads the run of six.
Why It Was Registered: Six Small Rooms and a Later Wing
The house is in two parts. The original block runs east to west, 3.5 bays by 5 bays (Ketayuki by beam span), single storey under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. At its west end a two-storey wing about 2.5 bays long was added later; the record does not say when.
Inside the single-storey block, six rooms of four and a half tatami mats each sit in two rows of three, a Rokumadori plan. There is no large reception room, only six rooms of the same modest size.
The criterion for registration is that the building serves as a model of form. The official description points to two things in particular: this plan, and the look of the added wing.
What to Look For: A Gable That Reads as Two Roofs
On the Nishio Family Residence Main House, look first for the gable end of the two-storey wing. The Agency notes that it is finished to look like a double roof, one roofline stacked above another, although the wing has only one upper floor.
Along the north side, facing the road, runs a Geya lean-to eave. From the street you can compare the low eaves of the single-storey block with the height of the wing rising at its west end. The step between them is the visible record of an Edo inn that later gained an upper floor.
Visiting
The Nishio Family Residence Main House is part of a private home and the interior is not open. Because the north front faces the old road, the lean-to eave, the single-storey roof and the west wing can all be seen from the street.
Please stay on the road, and if you take photographs, keep the camera away from windows and residents.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nishio Family Residence Main House
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- When was the Nishio Family Residence Main House built and registered?
- It dates to the late Edo period, given in the national database as 1830 to 1867. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 October 2000.
- What was the Nishio Family Residence Main House originally used for?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a former inn on the old road. We found no public source on when the inn closed.
- What is the floor plan of the Nishio Family Residence Main House?
- The single-storey block has six four-and-a-half-mat rooms in two rows of three. A two-storey wing about 2.5 bays long was added on the west end.
- What should I look for at the Nishio Family Residence Main House?
- The gable of the west wing, finished to look like a double roof, and the lean-to eave along the north front facing the road.
- Can I go inside the Nishio Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and the interior is not open, but the front can be seen from the old road.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishio Family Residence Main House (西尾家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1578 Otsu, Nahari-cho, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/10/18 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey with partial second storey, tiled roof, building area 124 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the old road) |
References
- 西尾家住宅主屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001970
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), Kochi Prefecture
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
Last verified: 2026.09.29
