What Is the Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor?
The Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor (阪之上家住宅渡廊下, Sakanoue-ke Jūtaku Watari Rōka) is a covered timber passage built in 1934 on a private estate in Hamadera Showa-cho, Nishi Ward, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, which once linked the detached reception room to the old main house; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 November 1999. At 6.5 square meters it is the smallest of the five registered structures on the lot.
A watari rōka is a roofed walkway joining two separate buildings. The Sakanoue Connecting Corridor runs from the detached room near the middle of the lot toward the main house on the north side.
What Remains of the Old Main House
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Sakanoue family's main house has been rebuilt in recent years and is not part of the registration. The passage that joined the earlier main house to the detached room was kept, and that passage is the Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor.
With the main house replaced, this short corridor is one of the few physical clues to how the everyday living quarters and the formal reception wing of an early Showa-period house were tied together. It dates from 1934, the same year as the detached room and storehouse, and all three were registered as models of design.
A Threshold between Brick Building and Courtyard
The Sakanoue Connecting Corridor does more than carry people from one building to another. The Agency describes it as forming a kekkai between the Western-style building and the courtyard. In Japanese architecture a kekkai is a boundary that marks off spaces of different character, often without a solid wall.
The brick building on the street and the Japanese-style courtyard in front of the detached room could hardly be more different in mood. A single low timber corridor passing between them is enough to separate the Western-style front of the estate from the Japanese-style rooms behind, gently and without closing anything off. Small as it is, the corridor holds a key position in the plan of the whole house.
Seeing the Sakanoue Connecting Corridor
The Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor is part of a private home and is not open to visitors. Sakai City asks that the house be viewed from outside only.
The corridor stands inside the grounds, behind the Western-style building on the courtyard side, so it is practically invisible from the street. Please do not enter the grounds.
Q&A
- What is the Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor?
- A covered timber walkway of 1934 in the Hamadera district of Sakai that linked the detached reception room to the former main house. Its building area is 6.5 square meters.
- When was the Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor registered?
- On 18 November 1999, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 27-0083, as a model of design.
- Does the main house joined by the Sakanoue Connecting Corridor still exist?
- The main house has been rebuilt in recent years and is not registered. The corridor that led to the earlier main house survives.
- What role does the Sakanoue Connecting Corridor play in the estate?
- Besides linking buildings, it acts as a boundary separating the Western-style building from the courtyard.
- Can I see the Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor from the street?
- Practically not. It lies inside the grounds behind the Western-style building, and the grounds are private.
Basic Information
| Name | Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-594 Hamadera Showa-cho, Nishi-ku, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 27-0083 |
| Year Designated | Registered 18 November 1999 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, building area 6.5 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001439
- Sakanoue Family Residence Connecting Corridor (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/192439
- Sakanoue Family Residence Western-Style Building and Others (Sakai City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kanko/rekishi/bunkazai/bunkazai/torokuseido/sakanoueke.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
