What Is the Akai Family Residence Main House?
The Akai Family Residence Main House (赤井家住宅主屋, Akai-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) in Ueno-Shinobicho, Iga City, Mie Prefecture, is a single-story wooden house built in the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1896), registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on September 10, 2010.
It has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of pantiles, with lean-to roofs (Geya) running around it. The house sits in the middle of a corner lot and faces east. Its ridge runs east to west, so the gable end, not the long side, faces the gate: a Tsumairi arrangement.
The building area is given as 151 square meters in the structure field of the Agency for Cultural Affairs database and as 160 square meters in the description on the same page. The published sources do not settle which is correct, so both figures are shown here.
Why It Was Registered
The Akai Family Residence Main House was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points out that its floor plan follows that of the earlier samurai house on the site.
Iga City's heritage assessment records a family tradition that the house was rebuilt when a member of the household born in 1878 was still a child. That fits the Agency's mid-Meiji dating.
The samurai class had been abolished by the time the Akai rebuilt, yet the new house kept the old sequence of rooms. The timber is Meiji, but the layout preserves how a samurai family lived in the Edo period. That is the core of its value.
Inside the Main House
The entrance sits toward the north end of the east front. A kitchen projects forward on its south side and a six-mat room on its north side, so the entrance is framed by two jutting wings. Behind them, to the west, are the formal reception rooms (zashiki).
Walk through the nagayamon and the gable end of the Akai Family Residence Main House is directly ahead. A visitor approaching the door sees the triangular gable with a room projecting on either side.
Since the city's restoration, the Akai Family Residence Main House holds a 14-mat tatami room, a 6-mat room, and a kitchen and dining space. The larger tatami room faces the garden to the south.
As you move through the house, keep the sequence in mind: projecting kitchen and six-mat room at the front, reception rooms behind. That order is the plan inherited from the older samurai house.
Visiting
You can see the exterior and entrance of the Akai Family Residence Main House during the free viewing hours, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed Wednesdays and December 29 to January 3). The gable-fronted facade is clearest from just inside the gate.
The tatami rooms are rented out, so they are closed when in use. If you want to see the zashiki properly, call the Akai Family Residence (+81-595-51-7578) in advance to check availability.
No official photography policy could be found. Ask at the reception desk before photographing interiors.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Akai Family Residence Main House
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Akai Family Residence Main House built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1896). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2010.
- How large is the Akai Family Residence Main House?
- The Agency's database gives the building area as 151 square meters in its structure field and 160 square meters in its description. It is a single-story wooden house with a gabled pantile roof.
- Why is the Akai Family Residence Main House a registered cultural property?
- Although rebuilt in the Meiji era, it keeps the floor plan of the earlier samurai house on the site, and it contributes to the historic townscape.
- What is distinctive about the layout of the Akai Family Residence Main House?
- The entrance sits toward the north of the east front, flanked by a projecting kitchen to the south and a six-mat room to the north, with reception rooms behind.
- Can visitors enter the rooms of the Akai Family Residence Main House?
- The tatami rooms are rented out and are closed while in use. Call +81-595-51-7578 to check availability before your visit.
Basic Information
| Name | Akai Family Residence Main House (赤井家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2491-1 Ueno-Shinobicho, Iga City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered September 10, 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story wooden house, gabled pantile roof, building area 151 square meters (160 square meters in the description) |
| Owner | Iga City |
| Public Access | Open (exterior from the street at any time; grounds free from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed Wednesdays and December 29 to January 3) |
References
- Akai Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008298
- Akai Family Residence Main House (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/217680
- Heritage assessment of the Akai Family Residence (Iga City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000003/3149/syoken.pdf
- Floor plan of the Akai Family Residence (Iga City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000003/3149/heimennzu02.pdf
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property Akai Family Residence (Iga City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/0000003149.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
