A Red-Clapboard Villa of the Matsukata Family
The Kyu-Karuizawa House (Former Matsukata Family Villa) (旧軽井沢ハウス(旧松方家別荘)) is a summer villa of around 1927 in Karuizawa, Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 24, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a sheet-iron roof and a building area of 135 square metres; registration number 20-0434.
A Villa of Matsukata Masayoshi's Granddaughter
The Kyu-Karuizawa House was the summer villa of a granddaughter of Matsukata Masayoshi (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a two-storey timber house under a gabled sheet-iron roof, with a lean-to on the east side.
The walls are of red clapboarding with windows on every side (Agency for Cultural Affairs). On both floors the rooms open off a central corridor, and the living room on the ground floor has a fireplace of Asama stone.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency describes it as an open, calm villa, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the red clapboard walls and the Asama-stone fireplace in the living room (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The Agency database does not list the owner. No official information on public access was found.
Q&A
- When was the Kyu-Karuizawa House built?
- Around 1927 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Whose villa was it?
- A granddaughter of Matsukata Masayoshi owned it.
- What does it look like?
- A gabled two-storey house with red clapboard walls.
- What is inside?
- Rooms on both sides of a central corridor, and an Asama-stone fireplace in the living room.
- When was the Kyu-Karuizawa House (Former Matsukata Family Villa) registered?
- On December 24, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kyu-Karuizawa House (Former Matsukata Family Villa) (旧軽井沢ハウス(旧松方家別荘)) |
|---|---|
| Location | 972 Karuizawa, Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/12/24 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, sheet-iron roof, 135 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Kyu-Karuizawa House (Former Matsukata Family Villa) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009756
Last verified: 2026.10.22