Miyazawa Family Residence Main House

About the Miyazawa Family Residence Main House in Matsushiro

The Miyazawa Family Residence Main House (宮澤家住宅主屋, Miyazawa-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a two-story timber townhouse built in the late Taishō era at 417 Matsushiro, Matsushiro-machi, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in 2005. It has a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Sangawara-buki pan tiles and a building area of 61 square meters.

The house stands in Matsushiro, the old castle town of the Sanada lords, facing south onto the national highway. It is 7 ken wide and 3 ken deep, with a lean-to Geya roof projecting across the front. A separately registered building of the same name stands in Misato, Azumino City; the two differ in place and date.

An Upper Floor Sealed in White Plaster

What sets the Miyazawa Main House apart is its upper story, whose outer walls are sealed in white Shikkui lime plaster. On the ground floor the front lean-to reaches out low toward the street; above it sits the white second floor. The tiled lean-to below and the white wall above make up the face of the house.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies the house as an early example of white plaster being used on dwellings in Matsushiro. It sits at a turning point in how the town's houses looked, and that clear place in the history of the streetscape is the core of its value.

Framed Shutter Boxes and Plastered Eaves

Look closely at the upper floor of the Miyazawa Family Residence Main House. The Todobukuro boxes that hold the storm shutters are edged with a molded frame, and the underside of the upper eaves is plastered over and shaped. The Agency names both as the house's distinctive design details.

Against the plain white wall, the framed shutter boxes and the modeled eaves throw small shadows. The plasterers did not stop at a flat coat; they gave the front a face of its own, and in that you can sense how new white plaster still was here at the time.

Registration and Visiting

The Miyazawa Family Residence Main House was registered on December 26, 2005, for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its white upper story is part of the character of the street along the highway.

The house appears to be a private home, and no official information about opening the interior could be found as of September 2026. The exterior can be seen from the south, on the highway side. Keep off the roadway while looking, and keep the household out of any photos. No guidance on photography was found.

Matsushiro is about 30 minutes from Nagano Station by Alpico Kōtsū bus on the Matsushiro Line; get off at the Matsushiro Station stop. The Miyazawa Main House is about 500 meters south of there (straight-line distance on the map).