What the Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room is
The Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room (新井家住宅玄関・座敷, Arai-ke Jūtaku Genkan and Zashiki) is a single-storey timber building of 1932 at the Arai Family Residence in Nakasho, Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 8, 1999. Its register number is 27-0066 and it covers a building area of 181 square meters.
Three wings frame the garden of the Arai Family Residence in a U shape, and this one takes the middle. It is the first building a guest sees across the lawn after passing the gate, the public face of the house. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the estate as a lavish principal residence that doubled as a guest house, and lists this wing as one of its parts.
The plan is simple. An entrance hall leads straight back to a zashiki, the formal tatami reception room of a Japanese house. Along the zashiki's south and east sides run a tatami-floored corridor and an open veranda, and beyond them lies the garden. The owners give the sizes as 22.5 mats for the zashiki, 7 mats for the tatami corridor and 4.5 mats for a side room.
Why the Entrance and Tatami Room was registered
Like the other five entries at the Arai Family Residence, this wing was registered on the ground that it contributes to the historic landscape of the country.
Its particular job is to announce the standing of the house. The Agency notes that both the entrance and the zashiki carry hongawara-buki roofs, alternating flat and round tiles in the manner of temple buildings, which give the wing a weighty presence. Most houses of the early 1930s used the lighter single-profile tiles known as Sangawara-buki. Choosing the heavier temple method for the front of a private home was a deliberate statement aimed at visitors.
The Agency calls the zashiki itself high in quality. The owners point to interior details developed from the Shoin-zukuri tradition: finely latticed paper screens, a coffered gō-tenjō ceiling and carved Ranma transoms, all showing the skill of carpenters working with good timber in the early Shōwa years.
What to look for at the Entrance and Tatami Room
Start with the roof. Seen from the gate across the garden, the entrance and zashiki roofs line up with their rows of round tiles running straight down the slope, casting deeper shadow lines than a sangawara roof would.
Inside, notice the tatami corridor. Laying a second, matted passage inside the veranda keeps guests' comings and goings clear of the room while letting both the room and the passage look onto the garden. Because it turns the corner from the south side to the east, sitting at the corner of the zashiki gives a view of the garden folding round at a right angle.
The whole sequence of arrival sits under one roof. A guest took off their shoes in the entrance hall and was shown straight through to the garden-facing room. The Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room kept that route separate from the family's own door, which opened into the main house on the other side of the forecourt.
Visiting the Entrance and Tatami Room
The interior of the Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room can be seen on the group tours arranged by the owners and on the free open day held each autumn (checked September 27, 2026). On the open day visitors may walk freely through the buildings and garden.
The exterior faces you from the garden just inside the gate. To take in the layered tiles of the roof, stay near the gate rather than walking to the middle of the lawn.
The zashiki is also hired out for photo shoots. The official site does not say whether visitors on tours may take photographs, so ask when you book.
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Q&A
- When was the Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1932. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 8, 1999, under register number 27-0066.
- Where does the Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room stand on the estate?
- It is the central wing of the three that surround the garden. From the gate it faces you across the lawn, with the inner room wing to the left and the main house to the right.
- What is special about the roof of the Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room?
- Both the entrance and the zashiki are roofed in hongawara-buki, alternating flat and round tiles. The Agency singles out the solid, weighty look this gives the building.
- How large is the zashiki in the Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room?
- The owners give 22.5 tatami mats for the zashiki, plus a 7-mat tatami corridor and a 4.5-mat side room. The building area of the whole wing is 181 square meters.
- Can visitors go inside the Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room?
- It is not open daily, but the interior can be seen on group tours booked with the owners and on the autumn open day. The room can also be rented as an event space.
Basic Information
| Name | Arai Family Residence Entrance and Tatami Room (新井家住宅玄関・座敷) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1380 Nakasho, Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), register no. 27-0066 |
| Year Designated | Registered July 8, 1999 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 181 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Group tours by request and an autumn open day |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Arai Family Residence Entrance and Zashiki (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001200
- About the Arai Residence (official site, in Japanese)
- https://arai-residence.com/about/
- Rooms (official site, in Japanese)
- https://arai-residence.com/introduction/
- Rental and tours (official site, in Japanese)
- https://arai-residence.com/rental/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
