Naito Family Residence

The Naito Family Residence

The Naito Family Residence (内藤家住宅, Naitō-ke jūtaku) in Ikedacho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, is the compound of an old local family whose main house dates from the early Meiji era (1868–1882); the main house, the nagayamon gate with its wall, the middle gate and the courtyard north wall were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on August 7, 2023 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The compound sits at the northern edge of a village that was once moated, one of the kangō shūraku of the Nara Basin (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to Nara City, the Naito family held the rank of village headman in the Edo period, and after the Meiji Restoration its members served as mayor of Obitoke Town, among other posts. Obitoke is the name of a district in the south of Nara City, and the city counts Ikedacho as part of it.

The four entries carry consecutive registration numbers 29-0353 to 29-0356, and all were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The property is privately owned (Nara City).

How the Compound Is Laid Out

The main house stands at the centre, facing north, and the nagayamon gate guards the northeast corner of the plot, facing east (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Through the gate a front yard leads to the main house, and a formal garden lies on the house's north side. The middle gate, also facing east, divides the front yard from that garden, and along the north edge of the plot the courtyard north wall follows a water channel and forms the backdrop to the garden.

The four were not built at once. Taken from the Agency's records, oldest first:

• Main house (early Meiji era): single-storey timber, building area 221 square metres; altered in the late Meiji era and around 1965. Nara City counts it among the largest farmhouses in the city
• Nagayamon gate and wall (early Meiji era): the gate covers 38 square metres and the wall runs 3.7 metres; altered between 1965 and 1974
• Courtyard north wall (about 1910): 12 metres long, standing on the stone embankment of the water channel
• Middle gate (early Showa era, 1926–1945): an Udekimon with an opening 1.4 metres wide and short flanking walls

The main house has no formal reception room with an alcove; that room was placed in a separate annex instead, which the Agency notes as an old-fashioned arrangement. The annex is not part of the registration. Each structure is described on its own page.

Visiting

The Naito Family Residence is a private home, and no official information on public opening or visits was found. Please stay outside the property. According to Nara City, the nagayamon gate faces the road, and the courtyard north wall rises from the stone embankment of the water channel.

The nearest station is Obitoke on the JR Sakurai Line (Man'yō Mahoroba Line); the residence lies about 550 metres west-southwest of the station in a straight line. There is no official route guide.