The House at the North End
The Sato Family Residence Main House (佐藤家住宅主屋, Satō-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a Machiya townhouse built in 1879 in the old castle town of Taketa, Oita Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2006.
According to the national database, the main house faces the road on the east side of the Sato plot and occupies its northern end. Its footprint is nearly square, 5 and a half by 5 and a half ken, under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki tiles. It follows the townhouse pattern of an earth-floored entrance area at the front.
The Sato Family Residence has four registered buildings. Of the three that line the street, the Sato Main House is the northernmost; the former miso storehouse stands to its south, and beyond that, on the corner, the former shop and main house.
Why It Was Registered
The Sato Main House was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape, as number 44-0125, the first of the four consecutive Sato numbers.
The national database calls it a fairly large townhouse with plastered walls on the upper floor and on the north side, and with upper eaves carried out in the degeta manner. Taketa City's townscape plan points to the way two Hirairi houses, ridges parallel to the street, flank the gable-fronted miso storehouse, giving this stretch of the castle town its broken, varied roofline. The value lies in a merchant family's house of the early Meiji years still holding its place on the street with its neighbours.
What to Look At
Bracketed upper eaves
The upper eaves of the Sato Family Residence Main House are built Degeta-zukuri: short arms project from the posts and carry an outer beam, pushing the eaves well clear of the wall. From the street you see the roof edge stepping out beyond the upper storey.
White plaster above and to the north
The upper walls and the north wall, which runs along the boundary with the neighbouring plot, are finished in Shikkui lime plaster. The database makes a point of noting that even the boundary side is plastered.
Rooms on two floors
Inside, an earth-floored area opens at the front, with tatami rooms and board-floored rooms on both floors behind and above it. None of this can be seen from outside, but it is the classic townhouse arrangement: business at the front, living space deeper in and upstairs.
Where the sources disagree
The structure field of the national database describes the Sato Main House as a wooden single-storey building with a partial upper floor, tiled, with a building area of 184 square metres, which does not match the two-storey description in the same entry's notes. Taketa City's plan, for its part, gives the main house a footprint of 9 by 5 ken with a plastered upper front, details that the national database assigns to the former shop and main house. Which description belongs to which building cannot be settled here.
Visiting
The Sato Family Residence Main House is privately owned, and as of October 2026 there was no notice of public access to the interior.
The exterior can be seen from the street on the east side, where the bracketed eaves and plastered upper storey are right at eye level as you look up. The north wall faces the neighbouring plot, and whether it can be seen from anywhere public has not been confirmed. Please do not enter the grounds.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Oita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Sato Family Residence Main House
- [ Beppu Hell Tour & Yufuin Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- When was the Sato Family Residence Main House in Taketa built?
- It was built in 1879 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2006.
- Where is the Sato Family Residence Main House?
- It stands in the old castle town of Taketa, Oita Prefecture, at the north end of the Sato plot facing the street to the east. The nearest station is Bungo-Taketa on the JR Hōhi Line.
- How big is the Sato Family Residence Main House?
- The database notes describe it as two storeys, 5 and a half by 5 and a half ken, with a gabled tiled roof. The structure field of the same database gives single storey with a partial upper floor and a building area of 184 square metres.
- What should I look for on the Sato Main House facade?
- The upper eaves carried out on projecting brackets in the degeta style, and the white lime-plastered walls of the upper floor.
- Can I go inside the Sato Family Residence Main House?
- No public opening had been announced as of October 2026. The exterior can be viewed from the street on the east side.
Basic Information
| Name | Sato Family Residence Main House (佐藤家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 102-2 Taketamachi and other lots, Taketa City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/11/29 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single storey with partial 2nd floor, tiled roof, building area 184 square metres |
| Owner | Private (owner field blank in the national database) |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (exterior visible from the street to the east) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Sato Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006073
- Cultural Heritage Online: Sato Family Residence Main House
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/141838
- Taketa City, Historic Townscape Maintenance and Improvement Plan, Chapter 2 (Japanese)
- https://www.city.taketa.oita.jp/material/files/group/23/chapter2.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.08
