A Black-Plastered Town House on Sakaimachi-dori
The Main House of the Kinshi Masamune Horino Memorial Museum (former Horino Family Main Residence) (キンシ正宗堀野記念館（旧堀野家本宅）主屋) is the main house of a town house of the Meiji period in Kameyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 4, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber house with a tiled roof and a building area of 210 square metres; registration number 26-0074.
A Large Town House on Sakaimachi-dori
The main house faces east onto Sakaimachi-dori, a fairly large town house about 6 and a half bays wide (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its main body runs north to south under a gabled pantile roof; the front has lattices of paired bars below and slatted mushiko windows above, finished in black plaster.
The Agency dates it to the mid-Meiji period, while Kyoto City says it was built between the late Meiji and early Taisho periods. This article gives both.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the plan of rooms in two rows of two, with a formal shoin room upstairs and a sukiya-style room downstairs, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
According to Kyoto City, the formal room has staggered shelves, an alcove and a built-in desk, with sukiya touches such as an alcove post of red pine with the bark left on and a lintel of bamboo; through its paper screens the crane-and-tortoise garden appears like a painting.
Visiting
Opening hours and admission are on the Kinshi Masamune Horino Memorial Museum page.
Q&A
- When was the main house built?
- The Agency says the mid-Meiji period; Kyoto City says the late Meiji to early Taisho periods.
- What is distinctive about the front?
- Lattices below and slatted windows above, finished in black plaster.
- What should I look for inside?
- The sukiya-style alcove and the view of the crane-and-tortoise garden (Kyoto City).
- Where is the museum?
- On Sakaimachi-dori north of Nijo, in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto.
- When was the Main House of the Kinshi Masamune Horino Memorial Museum (former Horino Family Main Residence) registered?
- On December 4, 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Main House of the Kinshi Masamune Horino Memorial Museum (former Horino Family Main Residence) (キンシ正宗堀野記念館（旧堀野家本宅）主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 172 Kameyacho, Sakaimachi-dori Nijo-agaru, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/12/04 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, 210 m² |
| Owner | Kinshi Masamune Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Open as part of the museum (see the museum page) |
References
- Main House of the Kinshi Masamune Horino Memorial Museum (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002051
- Kinshi Masamune Horino Memorial Museum (Kyoto City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/tokei/cmsfiles/contents/0000305/305675/a04horino.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.20
