What the Terada Family Residence Main House is
The Terada Family Residence Main House (寺田家住宅主屋, Terada-ke Jutaku Omoya) is a late Edo period town house in Imamachi, Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 12 July 2005. It is timber framed, single storeyed, tile roofed, and covers 203 square metres.
It faces west onto the old Nara Kaido highway. The roof is gabled and laid in Hongawarabuki, the entrance is on the long side in the Hirairi manner, and a lean-to canopy runs across the front. The upper level is of Tsushi-nikai type, a half storey with a ceiling lower than usual, the standard form for a Machiya on a highway.
The plan divides north from south. Living rooms occupy the northern half, an earth-floored Doma working space the southern half, and a Zashiki reception room extends from the north gable at a different roof height. That step in the roofline, visible from the street, is what the extension produces.
Why the Terada Family Residence Main House was registered
The criterion cited is contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database credits the building with a dignified presence on the street.
The landscape in question is the old Nara Kaido. Since the buildings along it create its character, what counts is how each one meets the road. On the Terada Family Residence Main House the upper part of the frontage is sealed in Shikkui plaster from wall to eaves soffit, a mushikomado grille window is set into it, and a varied run of timber lattice fills the ground floor. Fire protection, daylight and a public face are solved in one composition.
Its registration number is 27-0321, first of the seven. The Teradas traded as Hojoya, dealing in fertiliser and owning boats on the Yamato River, and this building was the public side of that business.
What to look at
Look at the lattice. Kashiwara City notes its variety at ground level. In a merchant house the thickness and spacing of lattice bars signal the standing of the shop and the nature of its trade. On the Terada Family Residence Main House no two openings are treated quite alike, which means each one had its own job.
The grille window above repays attention too. Vertical bars set in a plastered wall, combined with the low half storey behind, give the street a closed and guarded face. The plaster is there to stop fire spreading.
Accounts of the size differ. Kashiwara City gives a frontage of eight bays and a depth of six; the national database gives 203 square metres and no bay count. Both describe the same building on different scales, and this article records each.
Seeing the Terada Family Residence Main House
The Terada Family Residence Main House is still lived in, and Kashiwara City states that it cannot be visited. There is no access to the interior.
The front, however, is fully in view. Because the house faces west onto the old highway, its street elevation can be studied from the pavement. It is the only one of the seven structures visible from outside, and the lattice, the grille window and the plastered wall all face the road. From the opposite side of the street the whole elevation reads at once, from the canopy up to the eaves.
Photograph from the public road only, with the consideration due to a family home. Directions and contact details for the estate are set out on the page for the Terada Family Residence in Kashiwara.
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Q&A
- Can the Terada Family Residence Main House be visited?
- Not inside. The house is still lived in and Kashiwara City states that it is closed to visitors. The front can be seen from the old highway.
- What does tsushi-nikai mean at the Terada Family Residence Main House?
- A half storey above the ground floor with a ceiling lower than normal, used for storage or servants' quarters and common in highway town houses.
- When was the Terada Family Residence Main House registered?
- On 12 July 2005, under registration number 27-0321, as part of a single registration covering all seven structures.
- How large is the Terada Family Residence Main House?
- It covers 203 square metres. Kashiwara City records a frontage of eight bays and a depth of six. The structure is timber with a tiled roof.
- Why is the front of the Terada Family Residence Main House plastered over?
- To resist fire. Sealing the wall and the eaves soffit in plaster protects the timber facing the street when a neighbouring building burns.
Basic Information
| Name | Terada Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-1-14 Imamachi, Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 12 July 2005 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Floor area 203 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; exterior visible from the street |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Terada Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004788
- Terada Family Residence (Kashiwara City)
- https://www.city.kashiwara.lg.jp/docs/2014082300123/
Last verified: 2026.09.23
