Retirement Rooms on the River
The Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters (後藤家住宅隠居座敷) is a retirement wing of the late Meiji era in Kuma, Hita City, Oita Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 23, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building, roofed in tile, with a building area of 60 square metres, renovated in 1929 and 1977; registration number 44-0157.
Paired Rooms along the River
The Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters (後藤家住宅隠居座敷, inkyo zashiki) is a single-storey wing behind the main house, on the bank of the Shode River (庄手川), linked to the main house by a covered passage (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It measures 12 metres by 6.0 metres under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of pan tiles, with the ridge running north to south.
Inside are two 8-mat formal rooms in a row (Tsuzukima), with wooden verandas (Kure-en) on the east, north and west sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Built in the late Meiji era, the retirement quarters were renovated in 1929, the year the zashiki-gura next door to the north was built, and again in 1977.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters as a contribution to the historic landscape. On the river side it stands on a stone wall laid in two ways: river stones set in mortar (Nerizumi) to the south and coursed stonework (Nunozumi) to the north (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
What to Look For
The interest of the Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters lies on the river side: look for the point where the stonework changes from mortared river stone to coursed blocks, and for the stone steps at the north end leading down to the water (Agency for Cultural Affairs). With verandas on three sides, the rooms were clearly meant to open toward the river.
Visiting
The Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters stands behind the main house, and no official information on interior access was found (as of November 2026).
Q&A
- When was the Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters built?
- In the late Meiji era, with renovations in 1929 and 1977 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where are the Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters?
- Behind the main house on the Shode River, linked to it by a covered passage.
- What is the layout of the Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters?
- Two 8-mat formal rooms in a row with verandas on the east, north and west.
- What is special about the stone wall of the Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters?
- It is mortared river stone to the south and coursed stone to the north, with steps down to the river at the north end.
- When was the Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters registered?
- On October 23, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters (後藤家住宅隠居座敷) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-80 Kuma, Hita City, Oita Prefecture, and others |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/10/23 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 60 m², 12 m by 6.0 m |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on interior access |
References
- Goto Family Residence Retirement Quarters (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007431
- Hita City Regional Plan for Cultural Properties, Chapter 7 (Hita City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hita.oita.jp/uploaded/attachment/9137.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.12
