A Small Rearing Room Joined to a Larger One
The Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex is a two-story, earth-walled silkworm room built in the middle Meiji era on the estate of a silkworm-egg producer in Kamishiojiri, Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 15, 2024. In Japanese it is 旧佐藤家住宅（藤本）一号蚕室附属室, Kyū Satō-ke Jūtaku (Fujimoto) Ichigō Sanshitsu Fuzokushitsu.
As the name says, the Annex is attached to the north end of Silkworm Room No. 1. The main room is dated to 1890; the Annex is placed more broadly in the middle Meiji years, between 1883 and 1897. The published records do not settle which came first.
It is a small building, with a footprint of just 23 square meters. Gabled and tile-roofed, it runs north to south in line with the main room and has eaves extended on its north and west sides. Like the rest of the estate, it served the Sato family's business of producing silkworm eggs for sale.
Why It Was Registered
The Annex was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a silkworm room that continues the line of Silkworm Room No. 1 and helps shape the look of the estate.
On its own it would be easy to overlook. But by sharing the main room's orientation and its white plaster walls, it extends a single row of rearing buildings through the center of the compound. Since the main house burned in 1927, that row has become part of the estate's backbone.
What to Look For
The upper walls are finished in Shikkui plaster right up to the eaves, while the lower walls are clad in overlapping horizontal boards. The boards take the rain splash near the ground, and the band of dark wood under the white plaster is the Annex's most distinctive feature.
Inside, the ground floor is a single earth-floored room with doorways on the north and west. Upstairs is a single wood-floored room with windows on the same two sides. Every opening faces north or west, away from the main room it adjoins.
There is no ceiling on the upper floor, so the Wagoya roof frame, built up on short vertical struts, is fully exposed. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database shows the building from the northwest along with a view of that upper room.
Visiting the Annex
The Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex stands on private land owned by Fujimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. and is not open to the public. Visits must be requested from the owner, and we found no published guidance on photography.
Set well inside the estate, the Annex is hard to see from outside. The two photographs in the national database remain the most reliable way to study it.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nagano
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex?
- No. It stands on private property and is not open to the public. Anyone hoping to see it should contact the owner, Fujimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd.
- When was the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex built?
- It dates from the middle Meiji era, between 1883 and 1897, and was registered on August 15, 2024.
- How is the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex related to Silkworm Room No. 1?
- It is joined to the north end of Silkworm Room No. 1, shares its orientation, and continues the same line of rearing buildings across the estate.
- What is inside the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex?
- An earth-floored room on the ground floor and a wood-floored room upstairs, each with openings on the north and west. The upper room shows its exposed roof frame.
- How big is the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex?
- It is a two-story earth-walled building with a footprint of 23 square meters.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex |
|---|---|
| Location | 91 Minamigawa, Kamishiojiri, Ueda, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/8/15 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 23 square meters |
| Owner | Fujimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private property) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Silkworm Room No. 1 Annex
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015012
- Toshin Journal: Former Sato Family Residence registered as a national cultural property (Japanese)
- https://tjournal.co.jp/local/ueda/post-17134/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
