What Is the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House?
The Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House (葛野常喜家住宅主屋, Kuzuno Jōki-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a house in Katsuragawa Bomuracho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, built in 1843 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2002. It is a single-storey timber building with an Irimoya-zukuri roof of thatch under temporary metal sheeting, with a building area of 132 m².
It was the home of the Kuzuno Joki family, who for generations represented the lay parishioners of the temple Myōōin. The house stands on the corner where the temple approach turns off the Wakasa Kaidō, facing the former mandokoro, the Kuzuno Joman family's residence, across the approach. The Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House is the centre of that property.
Why the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House Was Registered
It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House as indispensable to the townscape of Myōōin's temple-gate settlement.
The one feature the Agency names is a Shikidai beside the great door to the earth-floored Doma. A shikidai is a raised wooden step at the entrance, a formal threshold for receiving guests of standing. It is tempting to connect it with the family's role among the temple's followers, but the Agency does not draw that link.
What to Look For at the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House
The front of the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House has two ways in side by side: the big door into the earth-floored room and, beside it, the shikidai. The arrangement seems to have kept everyday comings and goings apart from formal visits, and because the rest of the house looks so plainly rural, the shikidai stands out all the more.
The roof is hip-and-gable thatch wrapped in metal. Its date of 1843 puts it close to the Kuzuno Joman Family Residence Main House across the approach, which belongs to the Tenpō era, so in the first half of the nineteenth century two similar thatched houses faced each other at the head of the lane.
In the southwest corner of the plot a late Edo storehouse faces east. If the Agency's dates hold, the storehouse was already standing when the main house went up in 1843.
Visiting the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House
The interior of the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House is not open. The front, shikidai included, can only be seen from the approach as part of the exterior, and how much of the shikidai is visible from the road has not been confirmed. Please do not peer in or step onto the property.
Directions and bus times are on the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House to 1843.
- When was the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002, as registration number 25-0183, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
- What is the shikidai at the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House?
- It is a raised wooden entrance step set beside the big door to the earth-floored room, intended for receiving formal guests. The Agency picks it out as the distinctive feature of this farmhouse-like building.
- Can I go inside the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House?
- No interior opening appears in Agency or Otsu City materials. The house is seen from the approach, and the plot is off limits.
- Who were the Kuzuno Joki family of the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House?
- According to the Agency, they served for generations as representatives of the lay parishioners of Myōōin in Katsuragawa. Their house faces the Kuzuno Joman family, the temple's former administrative office, across the approach.
Basic Information
| Name | Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 102 Katsuragawa Bomuracho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2002-2-14 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, building area 132 m² |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the approach) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002632
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002633
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kuzuno Joman Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002550
Last verified: 2026.10.15
