Matsuyama Family Residence Main House South Wing

About the Matsuyama Family Residence Main House South Wing

The Matsuyama Family Residence Main House South Wing (松山家住宅主屋南棟, Matsuyama-ke Jūtaku Shuoku Minamitō) is a single-storey timber Machiya townhouse of the late Edo period in Nishinoshinyacho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on November 17, 2015. It was renovated in 2000.

It faces east onto a north-south lane near the middle of Naramachi. Of the two main houses at the Matsuyama Family Residence, this is the one built right up to the street; its northern neighbour, the north wing, stands a step further back. The south wing also has its own lot number, Nishinoshinyacho 44, while the rest of the estate is at 43-2.

An Older Type of Townhouse

The roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable covered in Sangawara-buki pantiles, with the ridge parallel to the street in the Hirairi manner, and lean-to Geya roofs run along the front and back. The building area is 97 m². Across the frontage, the southern 1.5 ken (about 2.7 m) is an earth-floored passage running through the house, and the northern 3 ken are living rooms.

What strikes you from the lane is how low the eaves are. Nara City and Nara Prefecture both point to the low eaves and the absence of rooms upstairs as signs that the south wing is an older type of house than the north wing. The north wing carries a ridge tag dated 1829; no such record is known for the south wing, and Nara City suggests the Matsuyama Family Residence Main House South Wing may go back to the 18th century.

The front lattices change with what lies behind them: a flat lattice in front of the living rooms, and heavier, thicker bars in front of the earth-floored passage. Above the lean-to roof the wall is finished in black plaster, pierced toward its south end by a single Mushiko-mado slatted window. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the timber frame, stiffened with deep Sashigamoi lintels, and the interior fittings still keep their original state.

Why the South Wing Was Registered

The Matsuyama Family Residence Main House South Wing was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency singles out its low street front and its well-preserved interior, valuing it as a townhouse that dates back to the early modern period.

Next to it, the north wing steps back and rises to a low second floor. Standing in the lane, you can compare two generations of Naramachi townhouse within the frontage of a single estate: the older single-storey type and a dated two-storey one.

Visiting the South Wing

Today the Matsuyama Family Residence Main House South Wing is used as a tofu restaurant, Naramachi Tofuan Kondo. Nara Prefecture's official tourism site, Naraiko, lists it as closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and as a customer you can go inside; the listing mentions an inner courtyard (checked October 2026). Days and hours can change, so confirm with the restaurant before visiting.

There are no heritage opening days. The exterior is visible from the lane in Nishinoshinyacho, and the two kinds of lattice and the position of the slatted window are easiest to read from the opposite side of the street. There is no official guidance on photography; inside, follow the restaurant's rules. Directions to the estate are on the Matsuyama Family Residence page.