A Townhouse Front of 1792
The Nakai Family Residence Main House (中井家住宅主屋) is the main house of a machiya townhouse of 1792 in Minaminakamachi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 2, 2007 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 130 square metres; registration number 29-0122.
A Townhouse Facing the Street
The Nakai Family Residence Main House faces east onto Minaminakamachi street, 6 and a half ken wide and 5 ken deep, the ken being the bay unit of Japanese carpentry (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The gabled roof is laid with traditional round-and-flat tiles, and a lower-roofed annex steps down on the south side.
Inside, the south side was once a through earth-floored passage, the toori-doma, running from the street to the back, with six rooms in two rows to the north (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Along the front, a lean-to roof shelters a narrow veranda behind widely spaced wooden lattices.
Above sits a tsushi-nikai, a low attic storey once used for storage. On the Nakai house its outer walls are finished in black plaster, while the eaves above are white, a two-tone front that the Agency calls distinctive.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Nakai Family Residence Main House for its contribution to the historic landscape, pointing to the black attic walls and white eaves that give it a distinctive face. It is the oldest of the three Nakai buildings registered on the same day.
Its firm date of 1792 matters too. The Agency's record lets you read the layout of a late 18th-century townhouse: the through passage, two rows of rooms, and a veranda and lattice facing the street.
What to Look For
Stand across the street first and find the line where the black attic wall meets the white eaves; that contrast is what gives the Nakai Family Residence Main House its face.
Lower down, the lean-to veranda and its open lattice sit between house and street. At the south end, the lower annex roof tucks against the tiled main roof.
Visiting
No official information on interior visits to the Nakai Family Residence Main House was found. Because it faces Minaminakamachi street, the front can be seen from the road. It is likely a lived-in home, so look from the opposite side of the street rather than crowding the doorway or lattice.
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Q&A
- When was the Nakai Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1792 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Nakai Family Residence in Gose?
- In Minaminakamachi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture, facing east onto Minaminakamachi street.
- What should I look for at the Nakai Family Residence Main House?
- The black-plastered attic walls against the white eaves, and the front veranda with its lattice.
- Can I go inside the Nakai Family Residence Main House?
- No official information on interior visits was found; the front can be seen from the street.
- When was the Nakai Family Residence Main House registered?
- On October 2, 2007 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Nakai Family Residence Main House (中井家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1234 Minaminakamachi, Gose City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/10/02 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 130 m², 6 and a half ken wide by 5 ken deep |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on interior visits (front visible from Minaminakamachi street) |
References
- Nakai Family Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006476
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Nara Prefecture (Nara Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.nara.jp/secure/324726/itiran.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.16
