About the Umeda Family Residence Main House
The Umeda Family Residence Main House (梅田家住宅主屋, Umeda-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is the principal building of an 1866 merchant townhouse facing the Hase Kaidō road in Kamihatchō, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 13, 2012. Of the four registered buildings in the Umeda compound, it is the one that gives the house its face on the street.
The building faces east. Its frontage runs six and a half ken (a ken is roughly 1.8 meters) and it is five ken deep, under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles with a lean-to Geya across the front. The footprint is 155 square meters. Built in 1866, it was extended in 1919 to 1926 and renovated in 1960.
Why It Was Registered
The Umeda Family Residence Main House was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to the way it keeps the outward form of a late Edo townhouse along the Hase Kaidō, and it reads the main house and its neighbour, the front storehouse, together as the frontage of a large townhouse.
Inside, a two-ken entrance at the north end opens onto an earth-floored passage that runs straight through to the back of the house. South of the passage, four eight-mat rooms are set out in a square grid of two by two. This is the classic merchant-house arrangement, a working passage from street to rear with living rooms gathered beside it, and here it survives intact in an 1866 building.
The Agency's database lists the structure as single-storey but describes the house as Tsushi-nikai. A tsushi-nikai is a low attic floor under the roof, counted separately from a full second storey, which is why both descriptions appear.
What to Look For
Standing in front of the Umeda main house, the first thing you notice is how low it sits. The upper eaves stop not far above a walker's eye line, a good measure of how modestly Nabari's townhouses addressed the street at the end of the Edo period.
The ground floor is lined with projecting Degōshi lattices of thin wooden slats. Above them the wall is plastered solid and pierced by Mushiko-mado, small vertical slot windows. The light lattice below and the heavy plastered floor above make a clear contrast.
The front storehouse adjoins the north end of the main house, and a doorway leads into it from the main house's entrance passage. From the road you see the main house's roof running parallel to the street beside the storehouse's gable end. Taking in the two buildings together shows the full width of the Umeda frontage.
Visiting the Main House
The Umeda Family Residence Main House is a private home and its interior is not open to the public, so the earth-floored passage and the four rooms cannot be seen.
What you can see is the exterior from the Hase Kaidō. For the lattices and slot windows, stand on the far side of the road, where the whole facade fits into view. To include the front storehouse, move a little north and look back at an angle. Please photograph only from the public road and avoid lingering at the entrance.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Umeda Family Residence Main House
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Umeda Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1866 (Keiō 2). It was extended in 1919 to 1926 and renovated in 1960.
- Why is the Umeda Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It keeps the outward form of a late Edo townhouse on the Hase Kaidō and contributes to the area's historic streetscape. It was registered on August 13, 2012.
- Can I go inside the Umeda Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home and the interior is not open. The exterior can be seen from the Hase Kaidō.
- What should I look at on the outside of the Umeda main house?
- The low upper eaves, the projecting lattices on the ground floor and the slot windows in the plastered upper wall. The pairing with the front storehouse next door is worth seeing too.
- Can I photograph the Umeda Family Residence Main House?
- You can photograph the exterior from the public road. As it is a home, please do not enter the grounds or stand at the entrance for long.
Basic Information
| Name | Umeda Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 1648 Kamihatcho, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 13, 2012 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 155 square meters; 6.5 ken by 5 ken |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the Hase Kaido) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Umeda Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009307
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Umeda Family Residence Front Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009308
- Cultural Heritage Online: Umeda Family Residence Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/277840
- Nabari City: List of Designated and Registered Cultural Properties (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.nabari.lg.jp/s061/010/020/000/030/R7shiteibunnkazaiitirann64.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.03
