What the Kayashima Family Residence Annex is
The Kayashima Family Residence Annex (萱島家住宅離れ, Kayashima-ke Jūtaku Hanare) is a single-storey timber reception wing built in 1897 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 an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable tiled roof and a building area of 88 m².
The Kayashima Family Residence Annex stands close to the southeast of the main house. Built 36 years before the 1933 main house, it is the oldest registered building on the site after the two of 1894.
The one building registered as a model of design
All 14 Kayashima structures were registered on the same day, but not on the same grounds. Thirteen were listed for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The annex alone was listed as a model of design: valued not as part of a townscape but for the quality of the building itself.
The official description gives the reasons. The interior joinery is careful, the building as a whole is well preserved, and it is a good example of a Meiji-era hanare zashiki, the detached reception room that prosperous households kept for guests and for their own leisure. A brewing family built it with care in 1897, and it has come down largely intact.
White eaves, gables and two verandas
Outside, the Kayashima Annex is marked by Shikkui lime plaster on the eaves and gable walls. With the triangle of the gable and the underside of the eaves rendered white, clean white planes stand out beneath the dark tile roof.
On the south and west sides, Hisashi extensions carry the roof out over wide verandas, called hiroen. The official description notes that the annex was designed together with the garden to its south: the room looks out across the veranda into the garden, and building and garden were planned as a single space.
Visiting the Kayashima Family Residence Annex
The Kayashima Family Residence Annex is part of the family's home and is not open to the public. It lies on the residential side of the grounds with its garden, and neither the interior nor the garden can be entered.
When visiting Kayashima Sake Brewery, use the SAKE GALLERY Tohzai shop and keep clear of the residence. For any request to view or photograph the annex, contact the brewery (+81-978-72-1181) in advance.
Q&A
- When was the Kayashima Family Residence Annex built?
- In 1897, 36 years before the main house of 1933.
- Was the Kayashima Family Residence Annex registered on different grounds from the brewery buildings?
- Yes. It is the only one of the 14 registered as a model of design; the other 13 were registered for contributing to the historic landscape.
- What are the notable features of the Kayashima Family Annex?
- Plastered eaves and gable walls, wide verandas under extensions on the south and west, and a design integrated with the garden to the south.
- When did the Kayashima Family Residence Annex become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On January 16, 1998, together with the brewery buildings.
- Can visitors see the Kayashima Family Residence Annex or its garden?
- No. It is part of a private home. Contact the brewery in advance with any request.
Basic Information
| Name | Kayashima Family Residence Annex (萱島家住宅離れ) |
|---|---|
| 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 88 m² (single-storey timber, hip-and-gable tiled roof) |
| Owner | Not published (blank in the national database) |
| Public Access | Closed (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kayashima Family Residence Annex
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000507
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kayashima Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000506
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kayashima Family Residence Annex (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/113587
- Kunisaki City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kunisaki.oita.jp/site/kyouikukage/bunkazaikunitouroku.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
