What Is the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing?
The Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing (冨田家住宅奥座敷, Tomita-ke Jūtaku Okuzashiki) is the guest wing of a prosperous farming estate in Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture; it was built in the mid-Meiji period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2016. It is a single-storey timber building covering 85 square meters.
Okuzashiki means the inner, or rear, Zashiki: the formal rooms kept for guests. The wing runs north to south on top of the stone wall at the southwest corner of the estate and is linked by a corridor to the south bedroom, the first of a row of buildings along the western wall.
Hipped-Gable to the South, Plain Gable to the North
The roof of the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing is finished differently at each end. The south end, facing outward, is Irimoya-zukuri, the more formal hipped-and-gabled form; the north end, where the wing meets the buildings behind, is a plain gable (Kirizuma-zukuri).
Inside are two rooms: the principal reception room, with a Tokonoma alcove and shelves on its south wall, and an eight-mat room. Verandas run along the east and west sides, and a corridor on the north leads to the south bedroom.
The Anchor of a Castle-Like View
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing as the focal point of an estate landscape that recalls a castle. A hipped-gable roof set on the corner of a high stone wall does bring to mind a watchtower at the corner of a castle rampart.
North of the wing, the south and north tool storehouses with their bedrooms follow along the wall, each at a different height. The south bedroom is finished to match the reception wing, so the roofs step down from the guest rooms along the terrace. The registration was made for the building's contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing
The Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing belongs to a private home and its interior is closed; no opening of the reception rooms was found in the sources checked.
It stands on the wall at the southwest corner, where the roof is seen from below over the stonework. Please stay off the grounds and view it from the public road.
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Q&A
- What is the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing?
- It is a mid-Meiji guest wing, single-storey and 85 square meters, standing on the stone wall at the southwest corner of the estate.
- When was the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing registered?
- On 29 November 2016, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 29-0243, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- What is unusual about the roof of the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing?
- The outward-facing south end has a formal hipped-and-gabled roof, while the north end, joined to the buildings behind, has a plain gable.
- What rooms are inside the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing?
- A principal reception room with an alcove and shelves on the south wall and an eight-mat room, with verandas east and west and a corridor to the north.
- Can I visit the Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing?
- The interior is closed. From the public road the roof can be seen above the stone wall at the corner of the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing (冨田家住宅奥座敷) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3830 Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 29-0243 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 November 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 85 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (no entry to the grounds) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011383
- Tomita Family Residence Inner Reception Wing (Cultural Heritage Online, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/292960
- Minutes of the 172nd Cultural Properties Subcommittee, Council for Cultural Affairs, 15 July 2016 (in Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkashingikai/bunkazai/16/pdf/gijiyoshi_172.pdf
- Ikoma City Cultural Properties Protection Council, meeting materials (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.ikoma.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000000/562/siryou.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.28
