What Is the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward?
The Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward (旧北村医院（李軒邸）西病棟, Kyū Kitamura Iin Riken-tei Nishi Byōtō) is an inpatient ward built in the early Meiji era, between 1868 and 1882, in Tobakamicho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, and entered on the register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 14, 2021. It is a two-storey timber building with a gabled, pantiled roof and a building area of 29 square meters, standing north of the main house and attached to the west side of the rear gate.
It is the older of the two wards that survive at the Former Kitamura Clinic.
Why It Was Registered
The West Ward was registered under the criterion of contributing to the country's historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a rare building that conveys what a Meiji-era medical household looked like, and the Council for Cultural Affairs, in its recommendation of July 16, 2021, describes it as a rare clinic building that preserves conditions from before the modern period.
In the early Meiji years, Japan's system of Western-style medicine was still being put in place. Even so, this village doctor's family had a separate building where patients could stay and be cared for. The Kitamura west ward preserves what an inpatient space run by a private medical family looked like.
What to Look For
Two six-mat rooms on each floor
Both floors of the West Ward have two six-tatami rooms side by side, east and west, with windows on the north and south walls so that light and air come from both directions. The entrance and stair are grouped at the east end of the south side, and a lean-to (Geya) on the east holds a storage space and a toilet.
A curved ceiling and a hanging alcove upstairs
Upstairs, the ceiling rises gently toward the middle, a form known as a mukuri ceiling, and the room has a tsuridoko, a simplified alcove made with only a hanging lintel and a strip of wall, without a raised floor. A sickroom fitted out like a formal room is what sets the Kitamura west ward apart.
Tucked behind the main house
The ward was placed not on the busy south side, where outpatients came and went, but north of the main house beside the rear gate. The sickrooms were kept away from the clinic's public face, at the back of the plot.
Viewing the West Ward
The Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward stands north of the main house, and no public opening had been announced as of September 27, 2026. The curved ceiling and alcove are interior features and cannot be seen. The agency's database shows the building from the southeast and the upstairs room from the east. Please do not pass through either gate onto the private grounds.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward built?
- In the early Meiji era, between 1868 and 1882. It is older than the other surviving ward, the East Ward of the early Showa period.
- What are the rooms like in the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward?
- Each floor has two six-mat rooms side by side, east and west, with windows on the north and south. The entrance and stair are at the east end of the south side, and a lean-to on the east holds storage and a toilet.
- What is special about the upper floor of the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward?
- The ceiling curves gently upward toward the center, and the room has a tsuridoko, a simplified alcove formed by a hanging lintel without a raised floor.
- Why is the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward 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 regards it as a rare building conveying the life of a Meiji-era medical household.
- Can visitors see the Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward?
- No public opening had been announced as of September 27, 2026. The building is on private land, so please do not enter.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kitamura Clinic (Riken Residence) West Ward |
|---|---|
| Location | 761 Tobakamicho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2021 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 29 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) West Ward
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014032
- 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
