A Merchant's Guest House of 1876 in Arita
The Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House (旧田代家西洋館, Kyū-Tashiro-ke Seiyōkan) is a two-storey wooden building in the hybrid Western style, built in 1876 among the old streets of Uchiyama in Kohei, Arita Town, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture, and designated an Important Cultural Property on December 25, 2018 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a two-storey wooden building with a pantiled roof and a building area of 85.01 square metres, designation number 2693, owned by Arita Town. According to the town, the 1876 ridge tag found in the roof space was designated with it as an appurtenance (1 tag).
Built to Entertain Foreign Buyers
The Agency for Cultural Affairs and Arita Town explain that the house was built in 1876 by Tashiro Sukesaku, son of the leading Arita porcelain trader Tashiro Monzaemon, to entertain and lodge foreign visitors. The ridge tag names the master builder as Tanso Tozaemon, a temple and shrine carpenter.
The Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual commentary adds that Monzaemon (1817 to 1900) was licensed by the Saga domain to export Arita ware, and that Sukesaku, who ran the family business in Shanghai, built the house as a place to negotiate with and accommodate foreign buyers.
It was designated a Saga Prefecture Important Cultural Property in 1977 as the Arita Ijinkan, the "foreigners' house". Family papers given to the town showed it had been called the Seiyokan, the Western house, in its day, and the national designation uses that name (Arita Town).
Why It Was Designated
The house was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2018 for its high academic value. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a valuable surviving example of a residential building in the hybrid Western style, and important evidence of how trade worked in early modern Arita, when porcelain made the town prosperous.
Arita Town acquired the house from the Tashiro family in fiscal 2013 and, after investigation and repairs from fiscal 2014 to 2016, restored it to its appearance of 1876.
What to Look For
The walls are plastered, and columns across the front form a porch below and a veranda above; arched transom windows are set with coloured glass (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The white, colonnaded front stands out among the tiled roofs of Uchiyama.
Inside, Western touches sit on a structure and details built with traditional techniques, and the living rooms have tatami floors (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Arita Town points out the spiral staircase and the washi paper on walls and ceilings. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, wallpaper found during restoration was recreated using a woodblock carved with the family crest.
Displays on the ground floor introduce the Uchiyama townscape, and upstairs, documents from the Tashiro papers and on the export trade (some reproductions) show Arita at the end of the Edo period and in early Meiji (Arita Town).
Visiting
According to Arita Town, the Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House is open on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, during the Arita Ceramics Fair (April 29 to May 5) and during the autumn porcelain festival, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is closed on weekdays and over the New Year (December 28 to January 4). Admission to the permanent displays is free.
The Arita Tourism Association gives the walk from JR Kami-Arita Station as about 20 minutes; the house is about 1 minute on foot from the Arita-kan. The address is 1-2-6 Kohei, Arita Town (1386-1 Kohei 1-chome in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database). Enquiries go to the Arita Town Board of Education, Cultural Properties Division.
Q&A
- When was the Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House built?
- In 1876, as confirmed by the ridge tag found in the roof space (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Arita Town).
- Who built the Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House, and why?
- Tashiro Sukesaku, son of the Arita trader Tashiro Monzaemon, built it to entertain and lodge foreign visitors (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Arita Town).
- Can I visit the Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House?
- Yes, on weekends, public holidays and during Arita's two porcelain fairs, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free (Arita Town).
- How do I get to the Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House?
- It is about 20 minutes on foot from JR Kami-Arita Station (Arita Tourism Association).
- When was the Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House designated?
- On December 25, 2018. Before that it was a Saga Prefecture Important Cultural Property under the name Arita Ijinkan.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House (旧田代家西洋館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1386-1 Kohei 1-chome, Arita Town, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 2018/12/25 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building (with 1 ridge tag) |
| Dimensions | Wooden, two storeys, pantiled roof, building area 85.01 square metres |
| Owner | Arita Town |
| Public Access | Open on weekends and holidays, etc. (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., free) |
References
- Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/00005179
- Former Tashiro Family Western-style House (Arita Town, Japanese)
- https://www.town.arita.lg.jp/kiji0032104/index.html
- Former Tashiro Family Western-Style House (Arita Tourism Association, Japanese)
- https://www.arita.jp/spot/post_23.html
- History of the Former Tashiro Family Western-style House (Japan Tourism Agency multilingual commentary)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/R2-01954.html
Last verified: 2026.10.14