A Two-Storey Link
The Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor (藤岡家住宅渡廊下, Fujioka-ke Jūtaku Watari-roka) is an 1896 linking building in Konnaicho, Gojo City, Nara Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006. It joins the Main House at the front of the compound to the Detached Room and the Annex Reception Wing behind.
It is more than a passage. The timber building rises two storeys, with a hip-and-gable (irimoya) roof on the west end and a plain gable (kirizuma) on the east, in pantiles. The ground floor holds a storeroom (Nando) and a stairwell, with a privy attached; upstairs is a 3-mat room with an alcove (Tokonoma). With a building area of 23 square metres, it is the smallest of the ten.
The Piece That Holds the Plan Together
The Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values its firmly established date and calls it indispensable to the layout of a large residence.
Apart from the Rice Storehouse across the road, every building in the compound is linked by covered passages. Leading visitors from the Main House to the reception rooms behind, this corridor is the hinge of the whole plan. Its addition in 1896 bound the Edo-period Main House, Detached Room and Annex Reception Wing into one route.
The upstairs 3-mat room appears to be the space the managers present as the study of the haiku poet Fujioka Gyokkotsu. They describe the study as dating from 1896 and set like a room within a bridge between the Main House and the rooms at the back. The ceiling is low, just right for someone seated at a desk.
The View from the Study
From the study window you see the Chobei plum in the courtyard and, beyond it, Mount Kongo. Sit here in March when the red blossoms are out and you can follow the line of sight of a poet working at seasonal verse.
From outside, compare the two ends of the roof: hip-and-gable to the west, plain gable to the east. The mismatch follows from fitting the building between existing wings, a sign that it was inserted later.
Visiting the Connecting Corridor
On opening days of the house museum you pass through the Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor on the way from the Main House to the rooms at the back. Whether you can go up to the study depends on current displays, so ask inside. The stairs are steep.
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Q&A
- When was the Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor built?
- In 1896, a firmly established date that was part of the case for it. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.
- What is inside the Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor?
- A storeroom, stairwell and privy on the ground floor, and a 3-mat room with an alcove upstairs. The upstairs room appears to be the one presented as the study of the haiku poet Fujioka Gyokkotsu.
- How can I see the Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor?
- Enter the house museum on an opening day; the route from the Main House to the back rooms passes through it. Ask inside whether the upper floor is open.
- Why does the roof of the Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor differ at each end?
- The west end is hip-and-gable and the east end a plain gable. Inserted between existing buildings, it was shaped to fit its neighbours.
- What can be seen from the upper floor of the Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor?
- The managers say the study window looks onto the Chobei plum in the courtyard and Mount Kongo. The plum usually blooms from early to late March.
Basic Information
| Name | Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor (藤岡家住宅渡廊下) |
|---|---|
| Location | 526 Konnaicho, Gojo City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 29-0102; criterion: contribution to the historic landscape |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/02 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber structure, hip-and-gable roof at the west end and gable at the east, pantile roofing, building area 23 square metres |
| Owner | Private (Fujioka family); managed by NPO Uchinono Yakata |
| Public Access | Interior open on Fujioka Family Residence opening days (admission charged; closed Mondays) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs — Fujioka Family Residence Connecting Corridor
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005343
- Gojo City — Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Gojo
- https://www.city.gojo.lg.jp/soshiki/kankoshinko/5_1/5/2110.html
- Nara Prefecture official tourism site (Aoniyoshi Naratabi Net) — Fujioka Family Residence
- https://yamatoji.nara-kankou.or.jp/03history/02old_house/04south_area/fujiokake/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
