What the Kayashima Family Residence Main House is
The Kayashima Family Residence Main House (萱島家住宅主屋, Kayashima-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a two-storey timber house built in 1933 on the grounds of Kayashima Sake Brewery in Tsunai, Kunisaki City, Oita Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 16, 1998. It has a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles and a building area of 228 m².
The Kayashima family runs the brewery behind the Nishi-no-Seki label, and this is the main house of their home. The official description calls it the large main house of Kayashima Sake Brewery, and Kunisaki City lists it simply as the brewery's main house.
A ground floor that opens into the brewery office
The Kayashima Family Residence Main House stands near the middle of the brewery plot, with the rice storehouse and gate storehouse on the road in front and the brewing buildings behind. Putting the family home at the center of the works says plainly how closely household and business were bound together.
According to the official description, the north end of the ground floor is left open so that it can be used together with the brewery office next door to the north. Joining part of the house to the office without a dividing wall made the main house both a home and the place where the brewery was run.
An upper floor lined with glass
On the upper floor, the front of the Kayashima Family Main House is opened up with a run of glass windows. Under the calm hipped tile roof, that bright band of glazing gives the house an early Showa character quite different from the Meiji and Taisho storehouses around it.
It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. Among the 14 registered structures only the 1935 wooden wall is younger, so the main house belongs to the last phase of a complex that began in 1894. The annex to its southeast, built in 1897, is 36 years older than the main house itself.
Visiting the Kayashima Family Residence Main House
The Kayashima Family Residence Main House is the family's home and is not open to the public. It cannot be visited inside and is not presented as a stop for visitors to the brewery.
When you visit Kayashima Sake Brewery, use the SAKE GALLERY Tohzai shop and keep away from the residential side of the grounds. If you want to photograph the house, ask the brewery (+81-978-72-1181) first.
Q&A
- When was the Kayashima Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1933, which makes it one of the newer registered buildings at Kayashima Sake Brewery.
- What kind of building is the Kayashima Family Residence Main House?
- A two-storey timber house with a hipped pantile roof and a building area of 228 m², with a glazed upper-floor front.
- How is the Kayashima Family Main House connected to the brewery?
- It stands near the center of the brewery plot, and the north end of its ground floor opens into the adjoining brewery office.
- When did the Kayashima Family Residence Main House become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On January 16, 1998, together with the brewery buildings.
- Can visitors see inside the Kayashima Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home. Visitors to the brewery should use the SAKE GALLERY Tohzai shop.
Basic Information
| Name | Kayashima Family Residence Main House (萱島家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 392-1 Tsunai, Kunisaki-cho, Kunisaki City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 1998 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 228 m² (two-storey timber, hipped pantile roof) |
| Owner | Not published (blank in the national database) |
| Public Access | Closed (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kayashima Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000506
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kayashima Family Residence Annex
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000507
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kayashima Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/176726
- Kunisaki City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kunisaki.oita.jp/site/kyouikukage/bunkazaikunitouroku.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
