About the West Zashiki
The Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki (旧中村家住宅西座敷, Kyū Nakamura-ke Jūtaku Nishi-zashiki) is a reception wing built in the Meiji 30s (1897 to 1906) in Amami, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2023. A Zashiki is a formal tatami room for receiving guests, and this wing gathers the estate's best rooms in one building joined to the west end of the main house. The national database records a renovation in the Showa 40s (1965 to 1974).
It is a single-story timber building with a footprint of 60 square meters, under a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) roof of pantiles (Sangawara-buki). That roof is a clear break from the thatched main house next to it. Inside are two eight-mat rooms laid out as a connected suite.
Extra Room for Guests
The late Edo main house does have a formal room with an alcove, but it is only six mats. The West Zashiki adds two eight-mat rooms, sixteen mats in all, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a wing that supplements the main-house reception room. The new wing gave the headman's household a proper suite for visitors near the end of the Meiji era.
The suite has a formal alcove arrangement with a Tokonoma and a built-in writing desk (Tsukeshoin). Veranda corridors run along both the south and north sides, so the rooms sit between two strips of boarded floor.
Chosen Timber
What stands out in the Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki is the timber. The alcove post (Tokobashira) is a polished log of Kitayama cedar with natural fluting, a fine ripple of vertical ridges that forms on certain trees. The alcove floorboard and the staggered shelves (Chigaidana) are single planks of Keyaki, Japanese zelkova.
The rooms also use hanging lintels and board transoms (Ranma). The national description and Kawachinagano City both read this care over materials as evidence of the family's former work in forestry.
Why It Was Registered
The West Zashiki was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. From the courtyard, its tiled hip-and-gable roof leans against the thatched Yamatomune roof of the main house, and the pairing shows at a glance how a Meiji wing was added to an Edo farmhouse as the estate grew.
To see the fluting on the alcove post, stand to one side where light rakes across it rather than facing it head on. On the zelkova floorboard, follow the grain from end to end: it runs unbroken because the board is a single piece.
Seeing the West Zashiki
The West Zashiki is part of the Sansen Sozen Kyuemon cafe premises along with the main house. Whether you are seated in these rooms depends on how busy the cafe is and how the rooms are being used, so ask the staff if you want to see the alcove. From outside, the wing appears from the courtyard as the tiled roof extending west from the main house.
There is no official guidance on photography. Ask before photographing the rooms and keep other guests out of the frame. Directions and opening days are on the Former Nakamura Family Residence page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki
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Q&A
- When was the Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki built?
- It dates from the Meiji 30s (1897 to 1906). The national database records a renovation in the Showa 40s (1965 to 1974).
- What is the Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki?
- A reception wing joined to the west end of the main house, with two connected eight-mat rooms, an alcove with a built-in writing desk, and veranda corridors on the south and north. The roof is hip-and-gable with pantiles.
- What is the alcove post in the Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki made of?
- A polished log of Kitayama cedar with natural fluting. The alcove floorboard and staggered shelves are single planks of zelkova (keyaki).
- Can you go inside the Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki?
- The building is part of the Sansen Sozen Kyuemon cafe, so you can enter as a customer during opening hours. Whether you can sit in these rooms depends on the day, so ask the staff.
- When was the Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2023, under registration number 27-0889, as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki (旧中村家住宅西座敷) |
|---|---|
| Location | 346 Amami, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2023 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 60 square meters (single-story timber, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Operates as a cafe (partly open) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014645
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/527277
- Kawachinagano City: Former Nakamura Family Residence West Zashiki (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.kawachinagano.lg.jp/site/history/89290.html
- Osaka Bunkazai Navi: Sansen Sozen Kyuemon (Former Nakamura Family Residence)
- https://osaka-bunkazainavi.org/bunkazai/%E5%B1%B1%E5%B7%9D%E8%8D%89%E8%86%B3-%E4%B9%85%E5%8F%B3%E8%A1%9B%E9%96%80%EF%BC%88%E6%97%A7%E4%B8%AD%E6%9D%91%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85%EF%BC%89
Last verified: 2026.09.29
