What Is the Tomita Family Residence Well House?
The Tomita Family Residence Well House (冨田家住宅井戸屋形, Tomita-ke Jūtaku Idoyakata) is the small roofed shelter over the well of a prosperous farming estate in Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture; it was built in the late Meiji period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2016. It is a timber structure with a tiled roof covering 4.2 square meters.
It stands on the east side of the sloping lane that climbs from the road to the gatehouse, facing west, and is the smallest of the nine registered buildings.
An Open Shelter One Bay Square
The Tomita Family Residence Well House is one bay square under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of Sangawara-buki pan tiles. Its east and north sides are closed with earth-plastered walls, left at the nakanuri coat, while the west and south sides are open.
Across the open west side runs a beam cut from a naturally curved timber. In a structure otherwise built of straight members, that one curved beam gives the little shelter its character, and it is on the side that faces anyone walking up the lane.
Why It Stands on the Slope
The Tomita Family Residence Well House stands partway up the approach to an estate built on a raised terrace. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes the important role it plays on such a hilltop site: on a property perched above stone walls, securing water was essential, and the well house marks where it was drawn.
Set beside the lane below the imposing wall and gatehouse, its small tiled roof brings the scene back to a domestic scale, and the Agency counts it among the buildings that shape the estate landscape. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Tomita Family Residence Well House
The Tomita Family Residence Well House is part of a private estate; visitors cannot approach the well or enter the shelter.
Although it stands beside the lane up to the gatehouse, please treat the lane as part of the property and do not walk up it. View the front of the estate only from the public road.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nara
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Tomita Family Residence Well House
- [ Todaiji Great Buddha & Nara Park Deer Experience ]
Q&A
- What is the Tomita Family Residence Well House?
- It is a small late-Meiji shelter over the estate well: timber with a tiled roof, 4.2 square meters, the smallest of the nine registered buildings.
- When was the Tomita Family Residence Well House registered?
- On 29 November 2016, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 29-0248, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Where is the Tomita Family Residence Well House?
- On the east side of the sloping lane from the road up to the gatehouse, facing west.
- What should I look for at the Tomita Family Residence Well House?
- A one-bay-square gabled shelter closed on the east and north and open on the west and south, with a naturally curved beam spanning the open west side.
- Can I visit the Tomita Family Residence Well House?
- No. It is on private property; please do not walk up the lane, and view the estate front from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Tomita Family Residence Well House (冨田家住宅井戸屋形) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3830 Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 29-0248 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 November 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber structure, tiled roof, area 4.2 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (no entry to the grounds) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Tomita Family Residence Well House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011388
- Tomita Family Residence Well House (Cultural Heritage Online, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/254845
- 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
