A horse-country farmhouse in Naruko Onsen
The Yusa Family Residence Main House (遊佐家住宅主屋, Yusa-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a mid-19th-century farmhouse in the Yōgai district of Naruko Onsen, Ōsaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, entered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 12 December 1997.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the Edo period, in the middle of the 19th century. It is a single-storey timber farmhouse roofed in sheet iron, with a building area of 226 square metres, under a large hipped roof in the Yosemune-zukuri style.
Two other buildings in Miyagi are registered under exactly the same name: the main house of a separate Yusa farmstead in the Baba district of Naruko Onsen, and a main house in Ishinomori, Tome City. They are separate entries, and this Yogai house was the first of the three to be registered.
Why it was registered
The Yusa Family Residence Main House was registered as a building that has become a model of its type. It carries registration number 04-0002 and was added in the 7th round of registrations, announced on 8 January 1998, only a short time after the registration system was created.
The Agency's note explains that in this district, long famous for its horses, old farmhouses typically had a broad earthen-floored Doma and took the stable inside the house. This large hipped-roof house keeps that plan and is cited as a good example of it.
A big roof and a sound frame
At 226 square metres it is the larger of the two Yusa Family Residence Main Houses in Naruko Onsen. The hipped roof comes down low on all four sides and gathers a wide doma and the stable under one cover.
The house was remodelled in recent years, mostly inside, but the Agency notes that the exterior and the structural frame of posts and beams are well preserved. It is the frame and the outline that carry the old farmhouse form.
A plan with the stable indoors is the physical shape of farming with horses. When you look at the Yusa Family Residence Main House, try picturing where the people lived under that roof and where the horses stood.
Visiting and getting there
The house is a private home. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives no owner, and neither the Agency nor Ōsaki City lists open days or a way to arrange a visit; assume the interior is not open. Please do not enter the grounds uninvited.
The nearest station is Naruko-Gotenyu on the JR Rikuu East Line, about 1.9 kilometres away in a straight line; Kawatabi Onsen Station, one stop east, is about 2.4 kilometres away. The distance is walkable, but no route is signposted and a car is the practical option.
A separate Yusa farmstead with six registered buildings stands in the Baba district of Naruko Onsen, about 1 kilometre to the northwest in a straight line.
Photographs of the building are published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database and on the Cultural Heritage Online portal. For questions about cultural properties in the city, contact the Cultural Properties Division of the Ōsaki City Board of Education in Furukawa Nanokamachi (tel. 0229-23-2214).
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Q&A
- When was the Yusa Family Residence Main House in Naruko Onsen Yogai built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Edo period, in the middle of the 19th century. It was registered on 12 December 1997.
- Why is the Yusa Family Residence Main House in Naruko Onsen Yogai registered?
- It keeps the old local farmhouse plan, a broad earthen floor with the stable inside the house, in a large hipped-roof building, and was registered as a model of its type.
- Can I visit the Yusa Family Residence Main House in Naruko Onsen Yogai?
- It is a private home and no public opening or viewing arrangement has been announced. Photographs of the building are published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database and on the Cultural Heritage Online portal.
- What is the nearest station to the Yusa Family Residence Main House in Naruko Onsen Yogai?
- Naruko-Gotenyu Station on the JR Rikuu East Line, about 1.9 kilometres away in a straight line. Kawatabi Onsen Station is about 2.4 kilometres away.
- Are the Yusa Family Residence Main Houses in Yogai and Baba the same?
- No. The Yogai house was registered in 1997 and the Baba house in 1998; they are about 1 kilometre apart and are separate registered properties.
Basic Information
| Name | Yusa Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 90-1 Yogai, Naruko Onsen, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1997/12/12 (Heisei 9) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 226 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no open days or viewing arrangement announced) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 遊佐家住宅主屋 (Yusa Family Residence Main House), Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000376
- Cultural Heritage Online: 遊佐家住宅主屋
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/176596
- Nationally Registered Cultural Properties, Osaki City
- https://www.city.osaki.miyagi.jp/shisei/soshikikarasagasu/kyoikuiinkaijimukyoku/bunkazaika/4/3402.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25