A Great Chumon-Style Farmhouse of the Snow Country
The Former Iida Family Residence, Main Building (旧飯田家住宅主屋) is the late Edo main building of a thatched farmhouse at Shobu, Oshima-ku, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, which in 2014 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a two-storey thatched timber building of 1853 with a building area of 313 square metres.
According to the Agency, it is a thatched farmhouse facing west on a mountain site.
The House
According to the Agency, a large hip-and-gable chumon wing projects in front of the earthen area toward the north, giving it the chumon-zukuri form characteristic of the Echigo region.
The raised floor area has a boarded main room with a Buddhist altar room and others partitioned behind, and the reception rooms at the upper end partly project.
What to Look For
The Agency describes it as a large farmhouse whose heavy, robust frame befits a region of deep snow.
Notice the projecting chumon wing and the massive posts and beams.
Visiting the Former Iida Family Residence, Main Building
No official visitor information could be found.
Enquiries go to Joetsu City.
Q&A
- When was the main building built?
- In 1853.
- What is chumon-zukuri?
- A farmhouse form with a wing projecting before the earthen area, typical of Echigo.
- How big is it?
- Two storeys, thatched, 313 square metres.
- How is it valued?
- As a large farmhouse with a robust frame suited to deep snow.
- Where is it?
- In the mountains at Shobu, Oshima-ku, Joetsu, Niigata.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Iida Family Residence, Main Building (旧飯田家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 318-1 Higashioki, Shobu, Oshima-ku, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/4/25 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, thatched, building area 313 square metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | No official visitor information found |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Former Iida Family Residence Main Building (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009934
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Iida Family Residence Main Building (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/232361
Last verified: 2026.09.30