A 1928 Service Wing with an Icebox
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room (長井家住宅（梅屋）女中部屋) is a building of 1928 in Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Mie Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on June 24, 2021. Standing on the north edge of the compound, just north of the Main House, it combines living quarters for a live-in maid with a domestic workroom.
The single-story timber building covers 20 square meters. The east half is a six-mat room for the maid; the west part, under a lower roof, is a workroom with an earthen floor (Doma). That workroom still holds an icebox, a refrigerator cooled with blocks of ice.
Why It Was Registered
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room was registered for contributing to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs pairs it with the Office Building as a key element of the north side. The Outer Wall runs east from this building's east gable, so it also forms part of the compound's northern boundary.
A separate building for a servant's room and household chores speaks to the staff a large estate required. The icebox, from before electric refrigerators reached ordinary homes, is a concrete trace of kitchen work in the early Showa years.
What to Look For
The roof is a small puzzle. The east end of the east half is hipped (Yosemune-zukuri), while the west gable and the lower west wing are gabled, all in pantiles. The two ends of one building finish differently, and the change of roof marks the line between living room and workroom.
The walls are white plaster (Shikkui) above vertical boards, and the east side has a projecting lattice window (degoshi) lighting the six-mat room, a fine-grained detail in a boundary lined with walls and storehouses.
Visiting
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room is not open inside, so the icebox cannot be seen. It is described as part of the north view, but how much can be seen from outside the property has not been confirmed.
Directions and viewing conditions for the whole estate are on the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) page.
Q&A
- When was the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room built?
- In 1928.
- What is inside the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room?
- A six-mat room for the maid in the east half and an earthen-floored workroom in the lower west wing, which contains an icebox.
- What is unusual about the roof of the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room?
- The east end is hipped while the west gable and the lower west wing are gabled, all in pantiles.
- Can you see the icebox in the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room?
- No. The interior is not open to the public.
- How large is the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room?
- It is a single-story timber building with a building area of 20 square meters.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room |
|---|---|
| Location | 2495-1 Yobisaki, Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Kitamuro-gun, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/6/24 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story timber building, tiled roof, building area 20 square meters |
| Owner | Not published (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no interior opening announced) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Maid's Room
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013820
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report on new registrations, March 19, 2021 (Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93206101_04.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.26
