What the Kodama Family Residence Row House Is
The Kodama Family Residence Row House is a two-storey timber outbuilding of about 1901 in the Wa district of Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2000 under the number 20-0081.
It runs north to south along the eastern edge of the compound, east of the main house. The plan is 11 bays by 3, the building area 83 square metres, and the roof is a pantiled gable.
The southern end continues into the drying room, and the east gate is attached to the northern gable end. Inside, the building divides into a front section, a rear section and a privy: space for the people and goods that kept the compound working.
Why It Was Registered
The listing criterion is contribution to the historic landscape. Eleven bays of building close the eastern side of the site, and together with the miso room, the drying room, the stable and the east gate they form the compound's outer edge. The value lies in that role rather than in any single detail.
Working outbuildings are the first things a family rebuilds. That this row house, the drying room and the stable survive alongside the house and the storehouse is what makes a registration of 12 structures possible here.
What to Look For
An earthen-roofed eave runs the length of the west front. Seen from inside the compound it reads as a covered route, letting people move from one end of the building to the other in rain.
The east face looks outward, away from the household. The national register notes that small hoods were fitted over the openings on that side out of regard for how the building would be seen. Detailing the back of a service building is a deliberate choice.
Look also at the north gable, where the east gate is attached directly to the building, gate and row house together narrowing the way into the back garden.
Visiting the Kodama Family Residence Row House
The row house stands inside a private compound and its interior is closed. Guided viewing on café opening days brings visitors alongside the outside of it.
From outside, follow the roofline from the lane on the eastern side; the length of 11 bays registers better at an angle than head on. Ask before photographing once inside the gates.
Directions and viewing conditions for the compound are on the Kodama Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nagano
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kodama Family Residence Row House
- [ Matsumoto Castle & Kamikochi Hiking Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Kodama Family Residence Row House built?
- The national register dates it to about 1901, the same phase as the storehouse and the front gate.
- What is inside the Kodama Family Residence Row House?
- The interior divides into a front section, a rear section and a privy, within a long plan of 11 bays by 3.
- Can visitors see the Kodama Family Residence Row House?
- The interior is closed, but guided viewing on café opening days brings you close to the exterior.
- Why is the row house on the national register?
- It was listed for contributing to the historic landscape, closing the eastern edge of the compound and forming part of its outer perimeter.
- What is notable about its eaves?
- The west front carries a long earthen-roofed eave, and hoods were fitted above the openings on the outward-facing east side.
Basic Information
| Name | Kodama Family Residence Row House |
|---|---|
| Location | 7785 Oaza Wa, Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2000 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber frame, 2 storeys, tile roof, building area 83 square metres |
| Owner | Yamatama Limited Company |
| Public Access | Inside a private compound; interior closed, seen on guided viewing |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kodama Family Residence Row House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001815
- Tomi City: Kodama Family Residence
- https://www.city.tomi.nagano.jp/category/kenzobutsu/160195.html
Last verified: 2026.09.17
