A Merchant House on the Street Front
The Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House (川本家住宅店舗兼主屋) is a merchant's shop and main house of 1928 in Kamiizumicho, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 25, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 182 square metres, renovated in 2005; registration number 27-0580.
A Six-Bay Townhouse Facing the Street
The Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House is a Machiya townhouse six bays wide, turned east toward the street (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Ibaraki City gives the frontage as about 11 metres.
On the ground floor the front half is a broad shop room, the mise, with a tatami reception room behind it on the north side. Along the south side an earth-floored passage runs from the street to the back of the house, and set into it is the rail of a small trolley line that once carried goods to the warehouse at the rear of the plot (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The route a wholesale business used every day is still written into the floor.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a building that recalls Ibaraki in its long run as a centre of trade and small industry.
Ibaraki City points to the mise shop room, the trolley rail laid in from the entrance to the warehouse, and an upper storey that sits between the low tsushi mezzanine of older Kamigata merchant houses and a full second floor. The city calls it a valuable survival that carries the Kamigata merchant-house type a step further.
What to Look For
From the street, look up at the upper floor: its front is finished in black plaster and closed at each end by a projecting side wall, or sodekabe (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Ibaraki City's newsletter introduces the house by its signboard, whose characters run in the opposite order to modern writing, so the sign is worth a look too.
If you get inside the Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House, look down at the floor of the earthen passage, where the trolley rail heads from the shop toward the back of the plot.
Visiting
The Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House is a privately owned home and is not open on a regular basis. Ibaraki City noted in 2022 that it is sometimes used as an event space. The street front can be seen from the road; for any event that opens the interior, check with Fukushimaya, the business run from the building.
Q&A
- When was the Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House built?
- In 1928, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs; it was renovated in 2005.
- What is the trolley rail in the Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House?
- A rail set into the earthen passage that runs back to the warehouse at the rear of the plot, used to move goods on a trolley (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Ibaraki City).
- What does the Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House look like from the street?
- The upper-floor front is finished in black plaster, with a projecting side wall at each end (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside the Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House?
- It is not open on a regular basis, but it is sometimes used as an event space, so the interior may be accessible during events (Ibaraki City).
- When was the Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House registered?
- On April 25, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House (川本家住宅店舗兼主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1167 Kamiizumicho, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/04/25 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 182 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street (interior not regularly open) |
References
- Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010004
- Kawamoto Family Residence Shop and Main House (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/232431
- Bunkazai Meguri Vol. 109: Kawamoto Family Residence (Koho Ibaraki, June 2015, Ibaraki City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.ibaraki.osaka.jp/koho/kohohtml/1506/06/21.html
- Feature: History around Every Corner (Koho Ibaraki, October 2022, Ibaraki City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.ibaraki.osaka.jp/koho/kohohtml/2210/10/01.html
Last verified: 2026.11.06
