What the Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House Is
The Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House (島内章子家住宅主屋) is a two-storey timber house of 1935 in Kamioka, Noichi-cho, Konan City, Kochi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 June 2002.
It stands toward the southern, road-facing end of the estate, just inside the gate. With a building area of 130 square metres under a tiled roof, it is the largest of the seven registered structures.
Rather than one block under a single roof, the house is three wings joined together: an entrance-and-guest wing, single-storey with a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof and its ridge running east to west; a two-storey living wing, also hip-and-gable, running north to south; and a kitchen wing, the kamaya, under a plain hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof and again running east to west.
Why It Was Registered
The Main House was registered as a model of form and design.
What the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out is the way the wings meet. East-west, north-south, east-west: each ridge is set at a right angle to the next. The official description treats this as a continuation of tombo-zukuri, a local way of assembling a farmhouse from crossing wings.
The date matters too. In 1935 the family was also building a reinforced concrete bathhouse and topping its stone wall with concrete. While the estate took on new materials, the Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House itself kept to a plan rooted in the district.
What to Look For
Start with the roofs. The entrance wing and the living wing both carry hip-and-gable roofs, showing a triangular gable at each end. The kitchen wing alone is fully hipped, eaves on all four sides.
Then note which way the living wing faces. Because it runs north to south and rises two storeys, it presents its gable end to the road. The official description names this gable, along with the entrance, as part of the estate's southern elevation, which the gate completes.
With a single-storey wing and a two-storey wing meeting at a right angle, the rooflines never line up. That broken silhouette is the easiest way to recognise a house of this type from outside.
Visiting
The Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House is a private home and the interior is not open. Neither the Kochi Prefecture nor the Konan City lists give any visiting information (checked 27 September 2026).
If it can be seen at all, it will be from the road on the south, where the gate sits above the stone wall with the entrance and living-wing roof behind. How much of the house is actually visible from the road has not been confirmed.
No notice about photography was found. A family lives here: stay off the property and do not linger.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- When was the Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1935, the same year as the gate, the stone wall and the bathhouse.
- How big is the Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House?
- It is a two-storey timber house with a building area of 130 square metres, the largest of the seven registered structures.
- What is tombo-zukuri at the Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House?
- It is a layout in which wings are joined with their ridges at right angles. Here the entrance-and-guest wing, the living wing and the kitchen wing meet this way, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as continuing the local tombo-zukuri tradition.
- Why was the Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House registered?
- It was registered on 25 June 2002 as a model of form and design.
- Can I go inside the Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home with no public opening. The south side may be visible from the road, but that needs checking on site.
Basic Information
| Name | Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House (島内章子家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2604 Kamioka, Noichi-cho, Konan City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 39-0041 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/6/25 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 130 square metres |
| Owner | Private (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no visiting information published) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002850
- Cultural Heritage Online, Shimanouchi Yukiko Family Residence Main House
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/187580
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures), Cities, Part 1 of 2 (Kochi Prefectural Government)
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2024031100056/
- List of National, Prefectural and City Cultural Properties (Konan City Board of Education)
- https://www.city.kochi-konan.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyoikuiinkaishogaigakushuka/rekishi_bunkazai/2/2189.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27
