About the Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing
The Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing (南家住宅別座敷, Minami-ke Jūtaku Betsuzashiki) is a separate building of formal reception rooms, built at the end of the Edo period between 1830 and 1868, that stands south of the main house on the Minami homestead in Oaza Ikenouchi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture; it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021. A betsuzashiki is a set of Zashiki, the tatami rooms used for guests and ceremony, housed in its own building apart from the family's living quarters.
It is a single-storey timber building with a footprint of 57 square meters. The gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof is laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, and its north and south slopes are built in the Shikoro-buki manner.
Why the Annex Reception Wing Was Registered
The Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a fully fledged reception annex surviving on the estate of an old family.
What earns that description is completeness. In one small building the Minami family placed an entrance room with a formal step, a pair of connecting tatami rooms, and, at the far end, a principal room fitted with an alcove and a built-in writing desk.
From a Formal Entry to a Pair of Connecting Rooms
The rooms of the Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing run in a line from east to west. At the east end is a four-mat room whose north side is fitted like a Shikidai, the low board step at a formal entrance, which suggests that this room served as the way in.
West of it lie a six-mat room and an eight-mat room, laid out as tsuzuki-zashiki, connecting reception rooms. Verandas run along both their north and south sides, and according to the Agency both look onto the garden.
The Alcove and the Cusped Window of the Eight-mat Room
The eight-mat room at the west end is the principal room of the annex. A Tokonoma alcove occupies its west side, and on the south side there is a Tsukeshoin, a built-in desk alcove, lit by a Katōmado, the cusped, flame-shaped window that came into Japanese architecture through Zen temple building. The national database calls this room the Okunoma, the inner room, and includes a photograph of its alcove.
The shikoro-buki roof changes pitch partway down each slope, so that the roof surface steps down in two stages. On this annex it is used on the north and south slopes, the sides that carry the verandas.
Visiting the Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing
The Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing is part of a private home and its interior is not open to the public. It stands south of the main house, inside the fence, and is hard to see from the road.
The photograph in the national database is the best way to see the alcove and the cusped window. Please do not enter the property.
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Q&A
- When was the Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing built?
- It dates from the end of the Edo period, between 1830 and 1868.
- Why is the Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on October 14, 2021, for contributing to the historic landscape, as a complete reception annex surviving on an old family estate.
- What rooms does the Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing contain?
- A four-mat entrance room with a formal step on the east, followed by six-mat and eight-mat connecting rooms. The eight-mat room has a tokonoma alcove and a tsukeshoin desk alcove with a cusped window.
- What is the shikoro-buki roof of the Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing?
- It is a roof whose slopes change pitch partway down, giving a stepped profile. On this annex it is used on the north and south slopes.
- Can visitors see the Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing?
- No. It is part of a private home, the interior is closed, and it stands inside the fence where it is hard to see from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing |
|---|---|
| Location | 923-1 Oaza Ikenouchi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on October 14, 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 57 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014075
- Cultural Heritage Online: Minami Family Residence Annex Reception Wing (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/553955
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report of July 16, 2021, list of registered structures (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93246101_01.pdf
- Gose City: Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.gose.nara.jp/0000001353.html
Last verified: 2026.10.04
