Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie Annex

The Annex of Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie

The Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie Annex (奈良町にぎわいの家離れ) is a detached reception wing built in 1913 behind a townhouse in Nakanoshinyacho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 2, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 49 square metres, repaired in 2015; it is one of four Registered Tangible Cultural Properties at the site, registration number 29-0250.

A Reception Room across the Courtyard

The Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie Annex faces east across a courtyard behind the main house and is reached by a covered corridor (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a single-storey building with a gabled roof of interlocking pan tiles. A 10-mat reception room sits at its centre, and lean-to roofs on the front and back shelter verandas that open onto a garden on each side.

Inscriptions found in the roof space date the framing to 1913 (guide leaflet). That is 4 years before the main house, making the annex the earliest dated building of the rebuilding that followed the completion of the site in 1912.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered it as a model of design for its refined details, the round window on the front, the railed veranda and the cusped window of the built-in writing alcove, which it says capture the character of a detached room behind a modern townhouse.

A Roof with Earth Inside

According to the guide leaflet, the roof structure of the Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie Annex is unusual: a second, inner roof was built beneath the outer one and covered with a layer of earth. No other example is known among Nara townhouses, and the reason is unclear, though fire protection or insulation are the likely explanations.

What to Look For

From the courtyard, look first at the round window and the railed veranda of the Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie Annex, then step into the reception room to see the cusped window of the writing alcove. The guide leaflet also points out a cedar door painted with reeds and wild geese, nail covers with hosoge flowers and sliding-door pulls shaped like old coins. The handrail of the corridor from the main house carries a checkerboard pattern.

Visiting

The reception room of the Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie Annex is part of the free visit during opening hours (official website). It is also used for events, so check the event listings on the official website before going. We found no official guidance on photography. Opening hours and directions are on the Naramachi Nigiwai-no-Ie page.