About the Nagatani-en Main House
The Nagatani-en Main House (長谷園主屋, Nagatani-en Shuoku) is the thatched, single-story timber residence of the family that runs the Nagatani-en pottery in Marubashira, Iga City, Mie Prefecture; built in the Meiji period (1868 to 1912), it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 26 March 2015.
The house stands toward the east of the residential part of the Nagatani-en grounds and faces south. Its roof is a hipped Yosemune-zukuri form in Kayabuki thatch, with tiles laid along the ridge and on the lean-to eaves that skirt the walls, so the deep thatch is framed by a band of clay tile. The building covers 185 square meters. Exhibition Room 1, on the lane, is its immediate neighbor to the east.
Nagatani-en's own website calls the building a thatched head-of-family residence more than 200 years old. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Meiji period, and this article follows the Agency.
An earthen floor and six rooms
Inside, the east end of the Nagatani-en Main House is a beaten-earth work floor, the doma, and the raised living area lies to the west. The Agency describes six rooms set in two rows of three, front and back, wrapped by a veranda. Iga City gives the same picture from the entrance: tatami rooms to the left, the doma and kitchen to the right.
Iga City classes the house as a Meiji farmhouse type. The plan is the familiar one of local farmhouses, but the room count and the generous veranda mark it as the home of a prosperous family.
The principal room sits in the southwest corner, a ten-mat room opening onto the garden. It has a broad tokonoma alcove, a Tokowaki side alcove, and a Ranma transom of fine kumiko latticework. The Agency singles it out as a refined, dignified house worthy of an old pottery family.
Why the Nagatani-en Main House is registered
The Nagatani-en Main House was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. It headed the list of twelve Nagatani-en buildings recommended by the Council for Cultural Affairs in November 2014, and Mie Prefecture noted that the residence and workshops survive as built between the Meiji and Taisho eras.
The rest of the residential compound is described in relation to this house. The annex joins it by a corridor to the northwest and leads on to the Taisho-era villa. The old account-book storehouse stands behind it, the front gate stands before it, and a courtyard gate sits between the two.
If you see only one thing, look at the roof. Along a lane of tiled and board-clad workshops, the thick thatch edged in tile is what sets the Nagatani-en Main House apart.
Seeing the Nagatani-en Main House
The Nagatani-en Main House has long been the family's home and its interior is not normally open. Unlike the exhibition rooms and the Taishokan, it cannot be entered on a casual visit. A travel operator has advertised small private tours of the house and garden in the past.
Opening hours and directions for the Nagatani-en grounds are covered on the Nagatani-en page. Because the house sits in the private residential area, please view it from the lane rather than stepping inside the gates.
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Q&A
- When was the Nagatani-en Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Meiji period (1868 to 1912). Nagatani-en describes it as more than 200 years old, so the two sources differ.
- Can I go inside the Nagatani-en Main House?
- Not normally. It is the family's residence and, unlike the exhibition rooms and the Taishokan, is not open to casual visitors.
- What kind of roof does the Nagatani-en Main House have?
- A hipped roof of thick thatch, with clay tiles along the ridge and on the lean-to eaves around it.
- How are the rooms of the Nagatani-en Main House arranged?
- A beaten-earth work floor occupies the east end. The raised area has six rooms in two rows of three, wrapped by a veranda, with a ten-mat principal room in the southwest corner facing the garden.
- When did the Nagatani-en Main House become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 26 March 2015, following a recommendation in November 2014 that covered twelve Nagatani-en buildings.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagatani-en Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 569 Marubashira, Iga City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 26 March 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 185 square meters (1-story timber, thatched roof) |
| Owner | Not listed (Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Interior not normally open |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Nagatani-en Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010464
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nagatani-en Main House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/235701
- Mie Prefecture: Summary of the recommended properties (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/common/content/000371116.pdf
- Iga City Digital Museum: Nagatani-en buildings and kiln (Japanese)
- https://adeac.jp/iga-city/catalog/mp404530-100040
- Nagatani-en: Shop information (Japanese)
- https://igamono.co.jp/at-first/shop/
- THE KANSAI GUIDE: Special tour of the Nagatani-en pottery (Japanese)
- https://www.the-kansai-guide.com/ja/article/item/20288/
Last verified: 2026.10.05
