Oga Family Residence

A Rush-Mat Merchant's Compound at Imabo

The Oga Family Residence (大賀家住宅, Ōga-ke Jūtaku) is a merchant's compound in Imabo, Kita Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, made up of buildings from the late Edo period to the mid-Meiji era, nine of which, including the main house, detached reception room, two-storey zashiki, inner storehouse, storehouse and barns, were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Property structures on 25 June 2002. The address is 755 Imabo.

The compound stands where the Ashimori and Sasagase rivers meet. According to Okayama Prefecture, the Oga family dealt in tatami facing directly with Edo, and in the closing years of the Edo period were granted the right to a surname and a sword, privileges normally reserved for samurai. The north side of the property adjoins the old port of Imabo, and boats once came and went straight to the sea from here.

Nine Buildings Inside the Gate

Behind the front gate of the Oga Family Residence stand the main house, the detached reception room, the two-storey zashiki, the inner storehouse, a storehouse, barns and work buildings. South of the main house and the reception room lies a garden said to have been moved from a villa of the Niwase domain.

Rooms for receiving guests and buildings for handling goods share the same ground. The business of shipping tatami facing to Edo and the life of the household are both written into the layout of one compound.

All nine were registered on the same day, numbered in sequence from 33-0057, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country.

Visiting

The Oga Family Residence is a private home, and Okayama Prefecture lists it as not open to the public. None of the buildings can be visited inside and the grounds cannot be entered. No special openings are announced.

If you are in the area, view the exterior from the public road only. Do not look in through the gate or push cameras over the wall, and keep residents and their cars out of any photographs.