Ogawa Bunsai Family Residence Main House

About the Ogawa Bunsai Family Residence Main House

The Ogawa Bunsai Family Residence Main House (小川文齋家住宅主屋) is a two-storey timber town house of the late Edo period (1830 to 1868), extended around 1919, on Gojozaka in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 2, 2018. It is an omoteya-style town house facing south onto Gojo-dori (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 174 square metres; registration number 26-0576, with no owner listed. The Ogawa Bunsai family are potters who set up independently on Gojozaka in 1873, and their main house, storehouse and climbing kiln were all registered on November 2, 2018 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Bunsai Kiln).

Why It Was Registered

The Ogawa Bunsai Family Residence Main House was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a town house that conveys the character of Gojozaka, which grew with the pottery trade.

What to Look For

The front block is mostly earth-floored, its facade built with projecting beams, with a projecting lattice on the west of the upper floor and a heavily framed lattice window on the east (Agency for Cultural Affairs). From Gojo-dori, the two different lattices upstairs define the front.

The living block behind has an earth-floored area to the east and two rows of two rooms to the west, the inner room fitted with an alcove and staggered shelves (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting the Ogawa Bunsai Family Residence Main House

The Ogawa Bunsai Family Residence is a potter's home and workshop, and we found no official information on public access. Please view it only from Gojo-dori. Bunsai Kiln accepts enquiries about pottery classes and commissions (Bunsai Kiln).