A House Caught Between Two Eras
The Former Kokuba Family Residence Main House (旧國場家住宅主屋, Kyū Kokuba-ke Jūtaku Shuoku, the surname also written 国場) is a single-storey timber dwelling of 1930 standing in Yamada, Onna Village, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 4 August 2015. It was relocated to its present site within the Ryukyu Mura open-air park in 2011.
From the outside it reads as a textbook Okinawan farmhouse: a hipped-and-gabled roof under red Ryukyuan tiles, the ridge low and broad, shisa guardian figures set on the tiles against misfortune. Walk closer and the reading changes.
Traditional Plan, Modern Openings
The house faces northeast. Along that front, working from the right, come three formal rooms in sequence, each about ten tatami in size: the ichibanza, the nibanza, and the sanbanza. Behind them run the urazā back rooms, with an earth-floored kitchen projecting from the rear. Anyone who has visited an Okinawan minka will recognise the arrangement immediately, and the timber framing behind it follows equally conventional practice.
The departures are at eye level. A porch canopy has been built across the front of the ichibanza, the room that would normally open directly to the veranda. Glass has been fitted into the sliding doors. Neither element belongs to the traditional repertoire, and in 1930 both were still novel in rural Okinawa.
That is the argument for registration. A dwelling built entirely in the old manner tells you about the old manner. This one records the moment at which mainland Japanese materials and habits began entering an established Okinawan building tradition without displacing it. The registration criterion cited was that the structure serves as a model of design.
The building covers 125 square metres. Sources disagree slightly on the construction date: the Agency for Cultural Affairs records 1930, while a multilingual heritage interpretation project run for Onna Village gives around 1928. Readers should treat the Agency figure as authoritative.
Eight Registered Houses in One Park
Ryukyu Mura opened as a park recreating village life under the Ryukyu Kingdom, and the buildings inside it are not reproductions. Eight are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, moved here from across the islands and re-erected. The Kokuba house shares the grounds with the Former Tamanaha, Former Nishiishigaki, Former Ōshiro, Former Shimabukuro and Former Higa houses, a raised granary, and a stone privy-and-pigpen structure of Ryukyuan limestone.
Seeing them together turns the visit into a comparative exercise. The Ōshiro house came from a Shuri aristocratic family and dates back roughly two centuries. The Shimabukuro granary sits on four round posts with its floor 2.3 metres up. Against those, the Kokuba house looks conspicuously recent, and the glazed doors that seemed like a minor detail on their own become the clearest marker of change in the whole park.
Visitors can go inside these buildings, which is unusual for registered properties in private ownership.
Planning a Visit
Ryukyu Mura is at 1130 Yamada, Onna Village, and opens daily from 9:30 to 17:00, with final admission at 16:00. There is no regular closing day. Admission is 2,000 yen for adults, 1,500 yen for high school students on production of a student card, and 800 yen for children aged 6 to 15; children under 6 enter free. Advance online tickets are sold at a discount, and prices are subject to revision, so check before travelling.
Photography is permitted throughout the park, and the houses are among the most photographed subjects in central Okinawa. Eisā drum performances are staged four times daily at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00.
By car the park is about 60 minutes from Naha Airport, 30 kilometres north on Route 58. Buses bound for Nago from Naha take roughly the same time; alight at Ryukyu Mura Mae. The Blue Cave snorkelling site at Cape Maeda is a five-minute drive away, and Manzamō, the limestone headland further north, makes an easy afternoon addition.
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Q&A
- Where is the Former Kokuba Family Residence Main House and can visitors go inside?
- It stands within Ryukyu Mura in Yamada, Onna Village, Okinawa. Visitors who have paid park admission may enter the building, as with the other registered houses on the grounds.
- What are the opening hours and admission fees for seeing the Former Kokuba Family Residence Main House?
- Ryukyu Mura opens 9:30 to 17:00 daily with last entry at 16:00. Admission is 2,000 yen for adults, 1,500 yen for high school students, and 800 yen for ages 6 to 15. Fees change periodically, so confirm on the official site.
- When was the Former Kokuba Family Residence Main House built and when was it moved?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs records construction in 1930 and relocation in 2011. One local interpretation project gives a date of around 1928 instead.
- What makes the Former Kokuba Family Residence Main House different from other Okinawan farmhouses?
- Its plan and framing are entirely traditional, but the porch canopy in front of the ichibanza and the glazed sliding doors are modern additions of the 1930s, capturing a transitional stage in Okinawan domestic building.
- How do you reach the Former Kokuba Family Residence Main House by public transport?
- Take a Nago-bound bus from Naha, a journey of about 60 minutes, and get off at the Ryukyu Mura Mae stop. By car it is around 60 minutes from Naha Airport via Route 58.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kokuba Family Residence Main House (旧國場家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1437-1 Yamada, Onna Village, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture (within Ryukyu Mura, 1130 Yamada) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 47-0083 |
| Year Designated | Registered and gazetted 4 August 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber frame, tiled roof, building area 125 sq m |
| Owner | Terakawahara Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Open with paid admission to Ryukyu Mura, 9:30 to 17:00 daily, last entry 16:00 |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010711
- Cultural Heritage Online
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/246905
- Ryukyu Mura official site
- https://www.ryukyumura.co.jp/
- Japan Cultural Properties Information Site, Onna Village
- https://onna.hiddenheritage.jp/1
Last verified: 2026.08.06