What Is the Omori Family Residence Main House?
The Omori Family Residence Main House (大森家住宅主屋, Ōmori-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is the home of a merchant family on the old Kikuchi Ōkan road in Yamaga, Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture, a 2-storey timber house built in 1872 that became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 March 2018. It has a tiled roof and a building area of 381 square meters.
Although it is registered as one building, the Omori Family Residence Main House is really two wings of quite different character. The east wing, facing north onto the street, keeps the form of a town house, or Machiya. The west wing was built to a higher standard as living and reception space. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database records additions around 1924 and around 1945 after the original construction of 1872.
The East Wing and Its Street Front
The east wing of the Omori Family Residence Main House is a Tsushi-nikai building: its upper floor is a low loft, traditionally used for storage, so from the street the house keeps its eaves close to the ground. It has a pitched Kirizuma-zukuri roof, and its entrance is on the long side, the arrangement known as Hirairi.
The frontage is 6.5 ken wide. Taking a ken at about 1.8 meters, that is a street front of roughly 12 meters. The walls are plastered right up to and under the eaves, and around their base runs Namako-kabe, flat tiles fixed to the wall with their joints built up in raised white plaster. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that here the joints form a hexagonal tortoiseshell pattern.
Walls sealed in plaster to the eaves resist fire. For a family that lent money and brewed sake, it was a way of showing the main street that house and fortune were well protected.
A Western Dining Room and the West Wing
The Omori Family Residence Main House did not stay as it was in 1872. In the Taisho era an extension was added to the back of the east wing, and in it the family installed a Western-style dining room. The street kept a traditional face while the private rooms behind moved with the times.
The west wing is a 2-storey timber building with a hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof. Its lintel height is generous, giving tall rooms, and a veranda 1 ken wide wraps around it. High rooms and a broad veranda are the marks of a house built to receive guests in some style.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Omori Family Residence Main House as finely built modern Japanese-style architecture. It is registration number 43-169, listed for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting
The Omori Family Residence Main House is still lived in, and its interior is not open to the public. The dining room and the west wing's veranda lie deep inside the lot and cannot be seen from outside.
What you can see is the street front of the east wing on the old Kikuchi Ōkan. From the opposite side of the road, the low loft floor and the namako-kabe base of the wall are easy to pick out, and the north wall continues the frontage west from the end of the house. Please stay off the property and avoid photographing through the windows.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Omori Family Residence Main House
- [ Kumamoto Castle & Mt. Aso Volcano Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Omori Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1872. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it was extended around 1924 and again around 1945.
- What does the street front of the Omori Family Residence Main House look like?
- The east wing has a low loft upper floor, a pitched roof with the entrance on the long side, and a frontage of 6.5 ken. The walls are plastered to the eaves, with a namako-kabe base in a tortoiseshell pattern.
- Does the Omori Family Residence Main House have any Western-style rooms?
- Yes. A Taisho-era extension at the back of the east wing contains a Western-style dining room. It is not open to visitors.
- When was the Omori Family Residence Main House registered as a cultural property?
- On 27 March 2018, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 43-169, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I go inside the Omori Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home that is still lived in. You can view the east wing's street front from the old Kikuchi Ōkan road.
Basic Information
| Name | Omori Family Residence Main House (大森家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 47 Yamaga and other lots, Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), Registration No. 43-169 |
| Year Designated | Registered 27 March 2018 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 381 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 大森家住宅主屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012257
- Cultural Heritage Online: 大森家住宅主屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/387838
- List of Designated Cultural Properties in Yamaga City (Yamaga City)
- https://www.city.yamaga.kumamoto.jp/kiji00396/3_96_11829_up_ktyrydo6.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.28
