A 1929 Inn on the Old Chichibu Road
The Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House (松本教室主屋, Matsumoto kyōshitsu shuoku) is a two-storey wooden townhouse built in 1929 on the old Chichibu road at Kamimachi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 2, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a two-storey wooden building with a tiled roof and a building area of 152 square metres, registration number 11-0096. Chichibu City lists the owner as a private individual.
From Inn to Tutoring School
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Chichibu City, the building was put up as an inn. It faces west onto the old Chichibu road and is counted among the townhouses that recall the commercial prosperity of modern Chichibu.
Yamanaka Komuten, the local builder that restored it, explains that it served for years as a shop and a family home and has been reborn as a tutoring school, which it calls a terakoya of the Heisei era. It has also won an encouragement award in the Saitama landscape awards. Kyoshitsu, meaning classroom, is part of the school's name.
Why It Was Registered
The Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as part of the townscape along the old Chichibu road.
Chichibu City's list of registered properties includes neighbours from the same era in the town centre, among them the Chichibu Meisen offices, the Koike Tobacco Shop, the former Bumo Bank head office and the annexe of the former Otsuki Inn.
What to Look For
The roof is gabled and covered in pantiles, with the eaves side facing the street, and a lean-to roof shelters the ground-floor front (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The facade is 8 bays long and built in the Shinkabe manner, with posts and beams left exposed. Both floors are generously opened up, and the upper-floor eaves at the front rest on projecting beams (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Chichibu City). The long row of upstairs windows facing the road is the clearest reminder of its days as an inn.
Visiting
The Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House is privately owned and in use as a tutoring school. No interior opening has been announced, so please view it from the old Chichibu road and avoid disturbing classes.
The address is 1289-1 Kamimachi, Chichibu City. Enquiries go to the Chichibu City Board of Education, Cultural Properties Protection Division (0494-22-2481).
Q&A
- When was the Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House built?
- In 1929 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Chichibu City).
- What was the Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House originally?
- An inn (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Chichibu City).
- How is the Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House used today?
- As a tutoring school, described by the builder that restored it as a modern terakoya (Yamanaka Komuten).
- Can I go inside the Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House?
- It is privately owned and no interior opening has been announced. The exterior can be seen from the old Chichibu road.
- When was the Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House registered?
- On March 2, 2006.
Basic Information
| Name | Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House (松本教室主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1289-1 Kamimachi, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/02 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, two storeys, tiled roof, building area 152 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | In use as a tutoring school (no interior opening announced; exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005258
- Matsumoto Kyoshitsu Main House (Chichibu City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.chichibu.lg.jp/4280.html
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Chichibu City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.chichibu.lg.jp/4024.html
- Matsumoto Kyoshitsu (tutoring school), restoration example (Yamanaka Komuten, Japanese)
- https://www.yamanaka-koumuten.co.jp/works/matsumoto/
Last verified: 2026.10.14