About the Former Arai Family Residence Main House
The Former Arai Family Residence Main House (旧新井家住宅主屋, Kyū Arai-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a two-storey timber farmhouse in Komahongo, Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture, built in the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897) as the home of the Arai family, village headmen of Komahongo, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014. With a building area of 318 square meters, it is by far the largest of the six registered structures on the estate.
The house faces south from the edge of a terrace overlooking the Kinchakuda meadow. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the length of its main block as 23 meters; Hidaka City's survey measured it at 23.2 meters by 8.2 meters. The roof is a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) form. It was thatched until 1993, when the thatch was replaced with tiles, and the house was renovated again in 2012.
Its age is not settled. The national database puts the Arai main house in the mid-Meiji period, while the city says it probably dates from the late Edo period to the early Meiji years, and notes that repeated alterations have changed its original form considerably.
Why the Main House Was Registered
The Former Arai Family Residence Main House is registration number 11-0135, listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to two things: the sheer size of a regular six-room, two-storey farmhouse with a broad earthen-floored work area, and the pair of formal rooms fitted with an alcove, staggered shelves and a built-in writing desk to signal the family's standing.
Hidaka City likewise lists the generous size of every room as the house's defining trait. Both the 23-meter frontage and the concentration of formal fittings in a few rooms record, in plan and in outline, that this was the home of a family that governed its village.
Six Rooms and the Formal West End
Inside, the Arai main house follows the Rokumadori plan: six raised rooms laid out in two rows of three, next to a wide Doma, the earth-floored space where cooking and farm work were done. Behind the main block, a study and storerooms project from the rear wall, so that the back of the house is broken by several small wings.
The two westernmost rooms, known in the house as the Dei and the Oku, rank highest. Both have ceilings raised a step above the rest. According to the city, each has a Tokonoma alcove, and the inner Oku flanks its alcove with a built-in desk (Tsukeshoin) on one side and staggered shelves (Chigaidana) on the other, the most formal arrangement a Japanese reception room could carry. In a house like this, such rooms were kept for guests of rank, not for daily family life.
The city's survey also found traces of a Shikidai, a formal entrance step for receiving high-status visitors, at the center of the Former Arai Family Residence Main House. Nothing of it survives on the present facade. The guest hall built in 1906 has a shikidai of its own, set at the middle of its ground floor, and comparing the two gives a clue to where the family chose to receive important callers over time.
From outside, what catches the eye is the long tiled roof. It was thatched until 1993; the change of material left the 23-meter length untouched, and seen from the Kinchakuda side the main house is still the dominant building of the estate.
Visiting the Main House
The Former Arai Family Residence Main House can be seen whenever Komagō Kominka is open. From the front garden on the south side you can take in the full length of the facade, from the earthen-floored entrance to the formal rooms at the far end.
Seasonal displays, such as dolls for the March doll festival and Tanabata decorations, are sometimes set up indoors, and the city publishes photographs of the doma, the hearth room, the living room and the formal rooms. The city's visitor information does not say how far ordinary visitors may step inside, however. If you want a close look at the alcoves and shelving, check in advance with the Hidaka City Industry Promotion Division (042-989-2111).
The ground floor of the main house can also be booked for private events and exhibitions, so on those days access may be limited.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Arai Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs database dates it to the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897). Hidaka City suggests the late Edo to early Meiji period, so the sources do not fully agree.
- How big is the Former Arai Family Residence Main House?
- It is a two-storey timber building with a building area of 318 square meters. The main block is about 23 meters long; the city measured it at 23.2 by 8.2 meters.
- What should I look for at the Arai family main house?
- The Dei and Oku, the two formal rooms at the west end. Their raised ceilings and the alcove, staggered shelves and built-in desk mark them as reception rooms for important guests.
- Did the Former Arai Family Residence Main House once have a thatched roof?
- Yes. The hip-and-gable roof was thatched until 1993, when it was re-covered with tiles. The house was renovated again in 2012.
- Can I go inside the Former Arai Family Residence Main House?
- The house is open on Komagō Kominka opening days, and seasonal displays are sometimes held indoors. The city does not state how much of the interior ordinary visitors may enter, so contact the Hidaka City Industry Promotion Division beforehand if you want to see the formal rooms.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Arai Family Residence Main House (旧新井家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 245 Kaminohara, Oaza Komahongo, Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 11-0135 |
| Year Designated | Registered April 25, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 318 square meters |
| Owner | Hidaka City |
| Public Access | Open to the public (as Komagō Kominka) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Arai Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009899
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Arai Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/271276
- Former Arai Family Residence (Hidaka City Lifelong Learning Division, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hidaka.lg.jp/soshiki/kyoiku/shogaigakushu/bunkazai/rekishibunkazai/1083.html
- Introducing Komagō Kominka (Hidaka City Industry Promotion Division, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hidaka.lg.jp/soshiki/shiminseikatsu/sangyoshinko/shokokanko/kanko/sisetu/5836.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
