What Is the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters?
The Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters (兒山家住宅隠居所, Koyama-ke Jūtaku Inkyojo) is a building on the west street of a wealthy farming family's estate in Tokikita, Naka Ward, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, combining rooms for a retired head of the family, a horse stable and a side gate; it was built in the late Edo period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 February 2002. It is a single-storey timber building of 73 square meters.
It stands west of the main house and forms the west face of the estate. To its south, beyond the wall that turns the southwest corner, runs the gatehouse.
Retirement Rooms, Stable and Side Gate
A side gate opens in the middle of the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters. North of the gate were the inkyo rooms, where a former head of the household lived after handing over the family to his heir; south of it was the horse stable.
Family living space, livestock and the everyday entrance all under one roof: a practical arrangement typical of a farming estate.
Two Different Roof Ends
The Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters is roofed in Hongawarabuki tiles, but the two ends differ. The south end is hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri); the north end is a plain gable (Kirizuma-zukuri) with a Hisashi canopy. The more formal form appears to have been turned south, toward the gatehouse and the front of the estate.
The retirement rooms have a Degōshi projecting lattice window on the street side, which gives the building the look of a nagayamon gatehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it plain but conspicuous on the west side of the estate, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters
The Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters is part of a private home. The interior is closed and the side gate is not an entrance for visitors.
Because it faces the west street, the projecting lattice window and the two different roof ends of the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters can be seen from the public road. Please stay off the property and take care not to block traffic.
Q&A
- What is the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters?
- A late Edo-period single-storey building of 73 square meters on the west street, with a side gate in the middle, retirement rooms to the north and a horse stable to the south.
- When did the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 14 February 2002, as registration number 27-0175, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- What is unusual about the roof of the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters?
- It is tiled throughout but has a hip-and-gable end to the south and a plain gable with a canopy to the north.
- Why does the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters look like a gatehouse?
- It has a side gate in the middle and a projecting lattice window on the street side of the retirement rooms, the look of a nagayamon.
- Can I see the Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters from outside?
- Yes. It faces the west street and can be seen from the public road. The interior is closed.
Basic Information
| Name | Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters (兒山家住宅隠居所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1404 Tokikita, Naka-ku, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 27-0175 |
| Year Designated | Registered 14 February 2002 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 73 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (exterior viewing from the public road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Koyama Family Residence Retirement Quarters (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002654
- Koyama Family Residence (Sakai City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kanko/rekishi/bunkazai/bunkazai/torokuseido/koyamakejutaku.html
- Koyama Family Residence (Sakai Tourist Guide, in Japanese)
- https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/spot/detail/219
Last verified: 2026.09.28
