About the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence
The Kuzuno Joki Family Residence (葛野常喜家住宅, Kuzuno Jōki-ke Jūtaku) in Katsuragawa Bomuracho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, consists of a storehouse from the late Edo period (1751–1829) and a main house built in 1843, and both were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in 2002.
The house stands in Bomura, a settlement on the Wakasa Kaidō (Route 367) in a valley west of the Hira Mountains, at the gate of the Tendai temple Myōōin. Otsu City traces the temple to 859, when the Mount Hiei monk Sōō is said to have perceived the deity Fudō Myōō on this spot, and describes it as a training hall for kaihōgyō, the long walking discipline of the Tendai school.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Kuzuno Joki family acted for generations as the representative of Myōōin's lay parishioners.
The Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Facing Across the Approach
The Kuzuno Joki Family Residence sits on the corner where the temple approach turns off the Wakasa Kaidō. Facing it across the approach is the residence of the Kuzuno Joman family, which ran the temple's mandokoro, or administrative office. One house tied to the running of the temple and one tied to its lay followers stand on either side of the way in, and the plan of the hamlet still shows how closely it was bound to Myōōin.
Two buildings are registered. The main house is a single-storey timber structure with an Irimoya-zukuri roof of thatch, now covered in metal sheeting. It looks like a farmhouse, yet beside the great door to its earth-floored Doma there is a Shikidai, a raised formal step for receiving guests. The storehouse, a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building in the southwest corner of the plot, faces east, and its charred boarding and white plaster give the approach a crisp edge. On the Agency's dates the storehouse is the older of the two.
Both were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency calls the main house indispensable to the townscape of the temple-gate settlement and the storehouse a key element of the view along the approach. The construction of each is covered on its own page.
Visiting the Kuzuno Joki Family Residence
The Kuzuno Joki Family Residence is not open to the public, and no interior viewing appears in Agency or Otsu City materials. It can be seen from the approach; please do not step onto the property.
By bus, take Kojak Bus route 51 (Katata–Katsuragawa Line, bound for Hosokawa) from Katata Station on the JR Kosei Line and get off at Bomura. The route runs only on Saturdays and holidays from the Vernal Equinox Day to the first Sunday of December, once each way. The timetable shows the bus leaving Katata at 8:50 a.m. and reaching Bomura at 9:28 a.m., with the return leaving Bomura at 9:51 a.m. The Bomura stop is close to the gate of Myōōin, so the corner of the approach is easy to find. For an unhurried visit, driving along Route 367 is the better choice.
The times reflect Kojak Bus listings as of October 2026 and may be revised.
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002632
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kuzuno Joki Family Residence Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002633
- Otsu City, Katsuragawa District Walking Map (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.city.otsu.lg.jp/material/files/group/126/katuragawa.pdf
- Kojak Bus Timetable: Katata Station, Stop 3 (Japanese)
- https://www.kojak.co.jp/timetable/Zikoku/00075_03/
- Kojak Bus Timetable: Bomura, Stop 1, toward Hosokawa (Japanese)
- https://www.kojak.co.jp/timetable/Zikoku/00442_01/
- Kojak Bus Timetable: Bomura, Stop 2, toward Katata Station (Japanese)
- https://www.kojak.co.jp/timetable/Zikoku/00442_02/
Last verified: 2026.10.15
Basic Information
| Name | Kuzuno Joki Family Residence |
|---|---|
| Location | 102 Katsuragawa Bomuracho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (2) |
| Coordinates | 35.24685, 135.86801 |
