What Is the Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building?
The Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building (横山家住宅隠居棟, Yokoyama-ke Jūtaku Inkyotō) is a two-storey wooden retirement house of the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882), standing east of the main house of the Yokoyama Family Residence in Johokucho, Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2013.
An inkyo building was where a household head who had handed over the family business lived apart from the main house. The Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building is set back from the street, has a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof in Sangawara-buki pantiles and covers 85 m². A gate and wall of the same early Meiji date stand in front of it, enclosing a small forecourt.
Why the Retirement Building Was Registered
The Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a retirement house of refined design.
Beside the main house, an Edo-period inn, the family added this separate dwelling after the Meiji Restoration. Where the main house stands right on the street, the retirement building keeps its distance behind the gate and wall. Takatsuki City's townscape award citation notes how the retirement building, the central gate and the wall vary the street front while keeping it in harmony.
What to Look For
Look up at the upper-floor veranda. Its handrail is filled with fukiyose hishigōshi, diamond lattice set in closely spaced clusters, and the panel below the veranda carries a gently arched frame. In a street front otherwise built of straight lines, that curve catches the eye.
The front entrance is closed by Mairado sliding doors with fine horizontal slats. Inside, Zashiki reception rooms and a tea room are arranged in a four-square plan, and the joinery borrows the lighter touch of Sukiya-zukuri. The main house was built to lodge travelers on official business, whereas the Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building was made for the family's own leisure, and its design is noticeably lighter.
Visiting the Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building
The Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building is part of a private home and its interior is not open. Parts of the estate are said to be opened occasionally, but no source says if the retirement building is among them (as of October 2026).
The exterior can be seen from the street to the south, over the gate and wall. The lattice handrail and the arched frame are on the upper veranda, so they are easiest to see when you look up from the road. Please do not pass through the gate, and take photographs only from the street. The layout of the whole estate and directions are on the Yokoyama Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building built?
- In the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 24, 2013.
- Where does the Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building stand?
- East of the main house, set back from the street. A gate opens at the center of its front, and with the wall on either side it encloses a forecourt.
- What are the design features of the Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building?
- A diamond-lattice handrail on the upper veranda, a gently arched frame in the panel below it, and mairado slatted sliding doors at the entrance.
- What is inside the Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building?
- Reception rooms and a tea room arranged in a four-square plan, finished with joinery in the sukiya manner.
- Can I visit the Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building?
- The interior is closed, as it is part of a private home. The exterior can be seen from the street to the south, over the gate and wall.
Basic Information
| Name | Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-88 Johokucho, Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, etc. |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered December 24, 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 85 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009800
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yokoyama Family Residence Retirement Building
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/285639
- Takatsuki City: List of Designated and Registered Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.takatsuki.osaka.jp/site/history/4535.html
- Takatsuki City: 1st Townscape Award Winner, Yokoyama Family Residence (Yokoyama Clinic) (PDF)
- https://www.city.takatsuki.osaka.jp/uploaded/attachment/10117.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.14
