The Family Business Office
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building (長井家住宅（梅屋）事務所棟) is a mid-Meiji building in Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Mie Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on June 24, 2021. It stands on the north edge of the compound, joined to the east side of the West Storehouse's lean-to, and was remodeled around 1967.
The single-story timber building covers 27 square meters under a hip-and-gable roof (Irimoya-zukuri) of pantiles. The west room is the office, boarded, with a small earthen entry (Doma) at the door. The east room is a rest room for workers, with three tatami mats and an earthen area holding a sink, and a toilet and store close off the east end.
Why It Was Registered
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building was registered for contributing to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a key element of the north side. In the line of Outer Wall, Maid's Room, Office Building and West Storehouse, it is the one roof that breaks the pattern with a hip-and-gable shape.
An office and a staff room inside the family compound show that the house was also the headquarters of the business. After the Meiji era the Nagai prospered in forestry, and this is where that work was handled.
What to Look For
The north wall is plastered white (Shikkui) above a base of vertical boards and turns a closed face outward, while a small roof projects on the south toward the inside of the compound. Hard toward the outside, practical toward the inside: the orientation is clear even in a building this small.
The earthen entry in the office suggests visitors who handled their business without removing their shoes. With the rest room and its sink, it points to a workplace with steady comings and goings.
Visiting
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building is not open inside. It is described as part of the north view, but how much of it can be seen from outside the property has not been confirmed.
See the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) page for viewing conditions and directions.
Q&A
- When was the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building built?
- In the mid-Meiji era. It was remodeled around 1967.
- What is the layout of the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building?
- A boarded office with an earthen entry on the west, a rest room with three tatami mats and an earthen area with a sink on the east, and a toilet and store at the east end.
- What type of roof does the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building have?
- A hip-and-gable pantile roof, the only one of its kind among the buildings along the north edge.
- Can you visit the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building?
- The interior is closed, and how much can be seen from outside has not been confirmed.
- How large is the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building?
- It is a single-story timber building with a building area of 27 square meters.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Office Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 2496-2 Yobisaki, Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Kitamuro-gun, Mie Prefecture, and other lots |
| 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 27 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) Office Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013819
- 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
