A Thatched Farmhouse in Taragi
The Otake Family Residence (太田家住宅) is a thatched farmhouse of the late Edo period (1830 to 1867) in Taragi, Taragi Town, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on February 23, 1973. Its complex roof turns at two points along the ridge (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as rooms of 12, 12.5, 6 and 12.5 mats with an earth-floored area, a boarded room and a veranda, under a hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) thatched roof that bends along its length, with an east-side lean-to and earth-floored annex. It is owned by Taragi Town.
Part of the Hitoyoshi-Kuma Japan Heritage
According to the Hitoyoshi-Kuma Japan Heritage council, the house is said to date from the late Edo period. At a time when house building was strictly regulated, it gained floor space by adding wings in an L shape, and records show that shochu was distilled here at the end of the Edo period.
It is presented as one of the cultural properties making up the Hitoyoshi-Kuma Japan Heritage (Hitoyoshi-Kuma Japan Heritage council).
Why It Was Designated
The Otake Family Residence was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1973. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that despite its complex, twice-turned roof it belongs to the same separate-building lineage as the Sakai Family Residence, that it is a well-developed example of the type, and that it is relatively large and of good quality.
What to Look For
The roof of the Otake Family Residence is a hipped thatch whose ridge turns twice, so that from outside the thatch runs in an L-shaped chain (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Inside are rooms of 12 and 12.5 mats with an earth-floored area, a boarded room and a veranda (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Japan Heritage council highlights how wings were added in an L to gain space under strict building rules.
Visiting the Otake Family Residence
The Otake Family Residence is at 447-4 Taragi, Taragi Town. We found no official information on opening times, so check with the Taragi Town Board of Education (0966-42-1267) before visiting (Hitoyoshi-Kuma Japan Heritage council).
Q&A
- When was the Otake Family Residence built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs says the late Edo period; the Japan Heritage council says it is said to date from the later Edo period.
- How is 太田家住宅 read?
- Otake-ke jutaku (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is distinctive about the Otake Family Residence roof?
- A hipped thatched roof whose ridge turns twice (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was the Otake house used for?
- Records show shochu was distilled here at the end of the Edo period (Hitoyoshi-Kuma Japan Heritage council).
- When was the Otake Family Residence designated?
- On February 23, 1973.
Basic Information
| Name | Otake Family Residence (Taragi, Kumamoto) (太田家住宅) |
|---|---|
| Location | 447-1 Nakanihara, Taragi, Taragi Town, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1973/2/23 (Showa 48) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Rooms of 12, 12.5, 6 and 12.5 mats, earth floor, boarded room and veranda; bent hipped thatched roof; east lean-to and earth-floored annex |
| Owner | Taragi Town |
| Public Access | Check opening times with the Taragi Town Board of Education |
References
- Otake Family Residence (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/3581
- Otake Family Residence (Hitoyoshi-Kuma Japan Heritage)
- https://hitoyoshi-kuma-heritage.jp/story1/ohtake/
Last verified: 2026.10.07