What Is the Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House?
The Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House (石垣やいま村旧喜舎場家住宅主屋, Kishaba-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a Ryukyuan-style house built in 1923, now standing in Ishigaki Yaima Village at Nagura, Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on November 17, 2015.
It was moved in 2008 from central Ishigaki, where it had stood since it was built. The single-storey timber house has a tiled roof and a building area of 118 m². It carries registration number 47-0085 and was listed on the same day, and under the same criterion of serving as a model of form, as the neighboring Ohama house (47-0084). In the village it goes by the name Kishaba house (Kishaba-tei).
A multilingual guide produced with Ishigaki City identifies the house as the home of Kishaba Eijun, the local historian often called the father of Yaeyama studies. He is credited with recording the folk song Asadoya Yunta and bringing it to audiences across Japan, and Ishigaki named him an honorary citizen. The guide says the house was donated in 2007 and moved the following year.
Why the Kishaba House Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs sees the Kishaba house as evidence of how the Ryukyuan house modernized in town. It points to two things, the plan and the roof.
The plan first. Instead of entering from the front, as a traditional house does, the Kishaba house puts its entrance on the back side. That pushed the Tokonoma alcove of the best room, ichibanza, round to the side wall of the room. The Agency calls the result an irregular plan. Read another way, it is the familiar Okinawan layout rearranged to suit a town lot and a town household.
Then the roof. On the entrance side at the back, the house shows a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) Hafu gable, while the kitchen and the third front room, sanbanza, each get a roof of their own. Rather than one big roof over everything, the Kishaba house breaks its cover into pieces. Compare it with the 1909 Morita house elsewhere in the village, gathered under a single hipped roof, and the looser approach of the 1920s becomes obvious.
What to Look For at the Kishaba House
From the front you only see half of what makes the Kishaba house interesting. Walk round the back to find the gable rising over the entrance, then continue along the side, where the separate roofs over the kitchen and sanbanza step past one another at different eave heights.
The multilingual guide adds that the entrance originally faced north and now faces west. The way the house sits today, in other words, is not how it sat in town.
Indoors, check where the alcove sits in ichibanza. Shifted to the side wall to make room for the rear entrance, it is the plainest sign of the irregular plan. Do not miss the transom panels (ranma) either: the guide describes one made from timber riddled by shipworms, the holes left by the sea creatures turned into decoration. Island woods such as inumaki (kyaangi) and fukugi (fukun) were used for the finishing work.
Visiting the Kishaba House
The Kishaba house can be seen during Ishigaki Yaima Village opening hours, and you may step up into the rooms. Entry is included in the village admission ticket; hours, fees and directions are on the Ishigaki Yaima Village page.
The quickest way to understand the roof is to walk all the way round the building. Climbing the stone walls is not allowed, so keep to the paths.
Personal photography is fine as long as other visitors stay out of your shots, and drones are not permitted. As in the other village houses, an audio guide introduces Ishigaki's culture.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okinawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House
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Q&A
- When was the Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House built?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs database, the Kishaba house was built in central Ishigaki in 1923 and moved to Ishigaki Yaima Village in 2008.
- Why is the Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- Its irregular plan, with the entrance at the back, and its roof split into separate pieces show how Ryukyuan houses changed in town. It was registered on November 17, 2015.
- Who lived in the Kishaba house at Ishigaki Yaima Village?
- A multilingual guide produced with Ishigaki City says it was the home of Kishaba Eijun, the historian who brought the folk song Asadoya Yunta to a national audience.
- Can I go inside the Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House?
- Yes. Visitors may step up into the old houses at Ishigaki Yaima Village. You need a village admission ticket (1,200 yen for adults, 600 yen for children).
- Is photography allowed at the Kishaba house?
- Personal photography needs no permission. Do not film other visitors, climb the stone walls or fly drones.
Basic Information
| Name | Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 967-1 Aza-Nagura, Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture (inside Ishigaki Yaima Village) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered November 17, 2015 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 118 m² |
| Owner | Ayapani Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Open during Ishigaki Yaima Village hours (admission required) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010906
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yaeyama Minzokuen Former Morita Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006671
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/238021
- Ishigaki City: Designated and Registered Cultural Properties in Ishigaki (Japanese)
- https://www.city.ishigaki.okinawa.jp/soshiki/bunkazaisisihennsyuka/bunakazaikinanbutu1/1_1/573.html
- Ishigaki Island Yaeyama Culture Multilingual Guide: Former Kishaba Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://ishigaki.hiddenheritage.jp/3
- Ishigaki Yaima Village: Sights (Japanese)
- https://www.yaimamura.com/look/
- Ishigaki Yaima Village: Photography and Filming Rules (Japanese)
- https://www.yaimamura.com/appointment/
Last verified: 2026.10.05
