The Family Home Behind the Gate
The Nishioka Family Residence Main House (西岡家住宅主屋, Nishioka-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a single-storey timber house built in about 1887 on the Nishioka family's property in Yasuda, Yasuda Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 October 2007. It covers 66 square metres.
The Nishioka Family Residence Main House faces east across a small front garden that separates it from the road. Inside there are just 2 tatami rooms, with a toilet and bath attached on the west side.
Why It Was Registered: A Layered Roof
For such a modest house, the roof of the Nishioka Family Residence Main House is surprisingly busy. Over the main body, a hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof and a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof are set one against the other. The entrance porch has its own small irimoya roof, and a lean-to Geya eave runs along below, so the tiled planes step down in layers.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out this roof composition as the building's defining feature. It was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape: seen over the front garden, the Nishioka main house's crowded roofline becomes part of the street scene.
White Plaster and a Black Entrance
The walls of the Nishioka Family Residence Main House are finished in Tosa-shikkui, the thick lime plaster of Kochi, under a roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. Only the entrance is set off in a dark wall, and from the front it is the first thing the eye lands on.
When looking at the roof, try tracing where the four sloping faces of the hipped section meet the triangular gable of the irimoya section. The porch roof sits a step lower than the main roof and projects toward the garden.
Visiting
The Nishioka Family Residence Main House is a private home and its interior is not open. The front garden is closed too, so the house is seen from the road to the east, through the gate. The early Showa gate stands a little back from the street in front of the house, and its posts frame the entrance and the stacked roofs.
Please keep your visit brief at the gate and avoid pointing cameras into the grounds for long.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nishioka Family Residence Main House
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- When was the Nishioka Family Residence Main House built and registered?
- The national record dates it to about 1887. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 October 2007.
- What kind of roof does the Nishioka Family Residence Main House have?
- A layered one: hipped and hip-and-gable roofs set together over the main body, a separate hip-and-gable roof over the entrance, and a lean-to eave below.
- How large is the Nishioka Family Residence Main House?
- It is a single-storey house of 66 square metres with 2 tatami rooms and a toilet and bath on the west side.
- What are the walls of the Nishioka Family Residence Main House like?
- They are finished in Tosa plaster, with a dark wall around the entrance as an accent.
- Can I go inside the Nishioka Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and not open to the public. It can be seen from the road to the east, through the gate.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishioka Family Residence Main House (西岡家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1807 Yasuda, Yasuda-cho, Aki-gun, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/10/2 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 1-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 66 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior from the road only) |
References
- 西岡家住宅主屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006345
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), Kochi Prefecture
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
Last verified: 2026.09.28
