What Is the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House?
The Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House (加藤家住宅（旧布惣）主屋, Katō-ke Jūtaku Kyū Nunosō Shuoku) is a late Edo period (1830 to 1868) merchant's townhouse on the Nakasendo highway in Takamiya-cho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, which combined the shop and home of the Nunoso hemp-cloth business and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 March 2013. It is a two-storey timber building with a tiled Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof and covers 202 square meters.
The house faces west onto the old highway in the middle of Takamiya-juku. It measures 16.6 meters along the ridge and 12.4 meters deep, roughly five times the floor area of the largest of the three storehouses behind it. It was altered in 1940 and again in 2009.
Why It Was Registered
The Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House was registered under number 25-0324 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its street front, which it says shows the typical features of a Machiya townhouse in this part of Shiga.
A post town's character lives in its row of facades. What earned the Nunoso main house its place on the register is the face it still presents to the Nakasendo, a merchant's front of the eastern Lake Biwa region, kept in line with its neighbors.
Reading the Facade
Look first at the brackets under the ground-floor eaves. These Udeki cantilever out from the posts to carry the overhang, and on the Nunoso main house they sweep in a curve like an Ebi-kōryō, the arched "shrimp" tie beam more familiar from temple and shrine halls. A shape borrowed from religious carpentry thus ends up under a shop awning.
Above, the upper floor opens in broad lattice windows. Some townhouses of the period kept a low upper storey pierced only by narrow slits; here the second floor is generous and turned toward the street. The Agency for Cultural Affairs cites the brackets and the wide lattice together as local hallmarks.
From the far side of the road you can frame both the eaves and the upper windows in one view. The curve of the brackets reads best from a slight angle rather than head-on.
Shop in Front, Home Behind
The front half of the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House was the shop; the back half is the raised-floor living section, laid out as four rooms in a two-by-two grid, the pattern Japanese builders call ta-no-ji after the character 田. Selling cloth at the street and living behind it was the standard arrangement for merchant houses along the Nakasendo.
The First Storehouse stands right beside the main house to the north, with its door facing the shop. That orientation suggests shop and store worked as a single unit, goods moving a few steps from storage to counter.
Visiting the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House
No opening of the interior of the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House could be found on the websites of Hikone City or the Hikone Tourist Association. What visitors can see is the street front: the shop, the upper lattice windows and the pairing with the First Storehouse next door.
Please stay on the public road and do not enter the property. The opposite side of the street gives the best view, but the roadway is narrow, so keep an eye on traffic.
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Q&A
- When was the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House built?
- In the late Edo period, between 1830 and 1868. It was altered in 1940 and 2009.
- Why is the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- Its facade, with curved eave brackets and wide upper lattice windows, shows the local townhouse style and contributes to the historic landscape. It was registered on 29 March 2013.
- How large is the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House?
- It is a two-storey timber building 16.6 meters by 12.4 meters, with a building area of 202 square meters.
- How is the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House laid out inside?
- The street half was the shop, and the rear half is a raised-floor living area of four rooms arranged two by two.
- Can I go inside the Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House?
- No public opening of the interior could be confirmed. The facade can be seen from the Nakasendo street.
Basic Information
| Name | Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House (加藤家住宅（旧布惣）主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1121-1 Takamiya-cho (and other lots), Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 25-0324 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 March 2013 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber building, tiled roof, 16.6 meters by 12.4 meters, building area 202 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | No interior opening announced (exterior visible from the Nakasendo) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009500
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/273213
- Kato Family Residence (Former Nunoso) Main House (Hikone Tourist Association, in Japanese)
- https://www.hikoneshi.com/sightseeing/article/katoke-jutaku-kyu-nunoso-shuoku
Last verified: 2026.09.28
