What Is the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage?
The Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage (旧北村医院（李軒邸）車庫, Kyū Kitamura Iin Riken-tei Shako) is a garage built between 1919 and 1926 in Tobakamicho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, and entered on the register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 14, 2021. It is a single-storey timber building with a pantiled roof and a building area of 13 square meters, standing at the southern end of the compound, south of the waiting room building, with its front facing east.
The roof is hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) at the front and a plain gable at the back, an unusual pairing that tells you a good deal about the building.
Why It Was Registered
The Garage was registered under the criterion of contributing to the country's historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with the standing befitting a doctor's residence.
A garage is usually the most utilitarian building on a property. At the Kitamura compound, only the side people would see was given a hip-and-gable roof and a decorated gable, the same vocabulary used on the family's formal rooms. The treatment suggests an awareness that the garage stood near the public face of the property. It was built in the same phase as the consultation building and the well house, when the family was reshaping the compound around the clinic.
What to Look For
Two roof shapes on one building
Seen from the east, the Garage has a hip-and-gable roof, with a latticed gable ornament (Kitsure-goshi) filling the triangle under the ridge. This fine grid of crossed battens has long been used to dress the gables of shrines, temples, and houses. At the back, facing west, the roof ends in a simple gable. The builders spent their effort where it would be seen.
A glass transom with diagonal bars
Above the front opening is a glazed transom crossed by diagonal bars. It lets in light and gives the facade a pattern. The opening itself now stands open, but it was originally closed by bi-fold doors.
Openings on every side
There is a glass window on the south side and sliding doors on the north and west. With access and light on all four sides, the Kitamura garage would have served equally well for storage or as a work space.
Viewing the Garage
The Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage stands at the southern end of the compound, and no public opening had been announced as of September 27, 2026. The agency's database includes photographs of its east and west sides, but it has not been checked where outside the property it can be seen from. The interior is closed and cannot be entered.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage built?
- In the late Taisho era, between 1919 and 1926, at the same time as the consultation building and the well house.
- What kind of roof does the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage have?
- A pantiled roof that is hip-and-gable on the east front and a plain gable at the west back. The front gable carries a kitsure-goshi lattice ornament.
- What does the front of the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage look like?
- A glass transom with diagonal bars sits above a wide opening. The opening is now left open, but it originally had bi-fold doors.
- Why is the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on October 14, 2021, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as a garage with the standing befitting a doctor’s residence.
- Can visitors see the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage?
- No public opening had been announced as of September 27, 2026, and the interior cannot be entered. Please do not go onto the private grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage |
|---|---|
| Location | 761 Tobakamicho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2021 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 1 storey, tiled roof, building area 13 square meters |
| Owner | Not published |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no opening announced; checked September 27, 2026) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) Garage
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014038
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs recommendation on registered buildings (July 16, 2021, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93246101_01.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.26
