What Is the Former Ohama Family Residence Main House?
The Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Ohama Family Residence Main House (石垣やいま村旧大浜家住宅主屋, Ōhama-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a Ryukyuan-style house built in 1907, 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.
The house originally stood in central Ishigaki and was moved to the village in 2008. It is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 145 m². Its registration number is 47-0084, and it was listed under the criterion of serving as a model of form. The village itself calls it the Ohama house (Ōhama-tei).
A multilingual guide produced with Ishigaki City says Ohama Shinretsu built the house for his nephew Ohama Shinken, a physician remembered for his work against malaria in the Yaeyama Islands. If so, the Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Ohama Family Residence Main House was a doctor's family home.
Why the Ohama House Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out three things: the Ohama house has a firm construction date, it is generously sized, and it shows modern touches within the Ryukyuan house type. A secure date of 1907 makes it a fixed point for judging how a well-off family in late-Meiji Ishigaki chose to live.
The plan explains the "generously sized" part. Running from the east end, the front of the house holds four rooms in a row: ichibanza, the best room, with a Tokonoma alcove; nibanza, where the family Buddhist altar stands; then sanbanza and a fourth room, yonbanza. The two older main houses moved to the same village, those of the Makishi and Morita families, stop at three front rooms, so the Ohama house is one room wider across its face. Back rooms (uraza) sit behind the front row, deep Amahaji eaves run along the southeast side, the entrance is set in the southeast corner, and the kitchen projects to the west.
The modern touches the Agency mentions lie in that combination: the traditional sequence of rooms kept intact, but with an extra room added and the entrance placed deliberately at a corner.
What to Look For at the Ohama House
Start outside, at the southeast corner. Here the amahaji eaves wrap around two faces of the building and the entrance tucks into the angle between them. The basic logic of a Yaeyama house, open rooms shaded by deep eaves against sun and squalls, reads clearly from this one spot. Walk round to the west and you see the kitchen jutting from the main block, which separates the formal rooms at the front from the working spaces behind.
Inside, walk the four front rooms from east to west. The alcove room was for receiving guests, the altar room for the ancestors, and the rooms beyond for everyday family life. The order matters in an Okinawan house, and the Ohama house lets you feel it room by room.
According to the multilingual guide, the finishing timbers are inumaki (Podocarpus, called kyaangi locally), the alcove uses Ryukyu ebony (kuruki), and the frame is built of island woods such as fukugi, iju and chinaberry. A ceiling beam is said to carry a protective inscription written by the master carpenter, a stock phrase used in Okinawa to ward off fire and misfortune. It is worth looking up for it.
Visiting the Ohama House
You can see the Ohama house during Ishigaki Yaima Village opening hours, and you may step up into the rooms. Entry is covered by the village admission ticket; hours, fees and directions are on the Ishigaki Yaima Village page.
The house doubles as the village's Ryukyuan costume dressing venue, so at busy times you will share it with visitors posing in Ryukyuan robes. Staff in the Ohama house handle bookings. For a quiet look at the rooms, come outside the busiest hours.
Personal photography is fine, but keep other visitors out of your shots, do not climb the stone walls, and leave the drone at home. An audio guide introduces Ishigaki's culture in each of the village houses.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okinawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Ohama Family Residence Main House
- [ Churaumi Aquarium & Shuri Castle Okinawa Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Ohama Family Residence Main House built, and when was it moved?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs database dates the Ohama house to 1907 and records its move from central Ishigaki to Ishigaki Yaima Village in 2008.
- Why is the Former Ohama Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on November 17, 2015, as a model of form: a Ryukyuan house with a known construction date, a generous four-room front, and modern touches in its layout.
- Can I go inside the Ohama house at Ishigaki Yaima Village?
- Yes. Visitors may step up into the old houses at Ishigaki Yaima Village, including the Ohama house. You need a village admission ticket (1,200 yen for adults, 600 yen for children).
- Can I try on Ryukyuan costume at the Former Ohama Family Residence Main House?
- Yes. Ishigaki Yaima Village runs its Ryukyuan costume dressing in the Ohama house. You can photograph yourself with your own camera; ask the staff in the house for details.
- Is photography allowed at the Ohama house?
- Personal photography needs no permission. Do not film other visitors, climb the stone walls or fly drones. Commercial shoots require advance permission from the village.
Basic Information
| Name | Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Ohama 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 145 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 Ohama Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010905
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ishigaki Yaima Village Former Ohama Family Residence Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/285480
- 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 Ohama Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://ishigaki.hiddenheritage.jp/4
- Ishigaki Yaima Village: Sights (Japanese)
- https://www.yaimamura.com/look/
- Ishigaki Yaima Village: FAQ (Japanese)
- https://www.yaimamura.com/faq/
- Ishigaki Yaima Village: Photography and Filming Rules (Japanese)
- https://www.yaimamura.com/appointment/
Last verified: 2026.10.05
