Ishida Family Residence Main House

The Main House of the Ishida Estate

The Ishida Family Residence Main House (石田家住宅主屋) is the main house of a Settan-type farmhouse of the mid-Edo period in Inouchi, Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is the central building of the Ishida family estate in the Inouchi village.

The Agency records a single-storey timber house roofed in copper sheet and partly in tile, with a building area of 178 square metres, dated to the mid-Edo period (1661 to 1751), enlarged in the late Edo period (1751 to 1830) and renovated in 2011; registration number 26-0415.

A Gable-Entry House with a Thatch-Form Roof

The Ishida Family Residence Main House stands toward the north of the plot, facing south (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its hip-and-gable roof (Irimoya-zukuri) is entered from the gable end (Tsumairi); the old thatch has been sheathed in copper sheet that keeps the thatched profile (Dōban-buki), and tiled lean-to roofs (Geya) run around it. A wing with its own hip-and-gable roof (Tsunoya) projects to the west.

Inside, the earth-floored work area lies to the east and two rows of living rooms to the west, with a formal entrance step (Shikidai) (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The west wing holds the main reception room, fitted with an alcove and shelves.

According to Kyoto Prefecture, old documents and prayer tablets kept by the Ishida family suggest that the house was built around the Kyoho era (1716 to 1736) and reached roughly its present form between the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered the Ishida Family Residence Main House as a contribution to the historic landscape, noting that it shows well how houses developed from the Settan type of farmhouse.

The Settan type, found from the old Settsu province to Tanba, is entered from the gable end, with the plan divided lengthwise and the earth floor on only one side of the ridge line (Kyoto Prefecture). The prefecture describes the Ishida house as a large example of the type at the north end of Inouchi village.

What to Look For

On the Ishida Family Residence Main House, look for the contrast between the deep copper-sheathed roof, which keeps the bulk of the old thatch, and the tiled lean-tos around its base (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The hip-and-gable roof of the west wing marks the position of the main reception room.

Visiting

The Ishida Family Residence Main House is a private home, and no official information on access to the interior was found. It stands toward the north of a walled plot, so please do not enter the grounds. Whether photography is allowed has not been confirmed.