A 1960 Street Front for the Old Tsuchiyama Honjin
The Tsuchiyama Family Residence (Tsuchiyama-shuku Honjin Site) Main House (土山家住宅（土山宿本陣跡）主屋, Tsuchiyama-ke Jūtaku Omoya) is a two-storey timber townhouse completed in 1960 on the old Tokaido road in Kitatsuchiyama, Tsuchiyama-cho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 February 2023.
It is the front building of the house that once served as the honjin, the official inn for lords and court nobles, of Tsuchiyama-shuku. The Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House faces south onto the road and runs east to west, with a tiled roof and a building area of 174 square metres. Its annex, storehouse and rice storehouse were registered on the same day.
Why a Postwar House Was Registered
The listing criterion is its contribution to the historic landscape. That is the key to understanding why a building from 1960 earned a place on the national register.
When the family rebuilt the main house, Koka City explains, both the local community and the head of the family wanted it to keep as much of the old honjin character as possible. The finished building went on to serve as a symbol of Tsuchiyama-shuku for the town.
It is not only a matter of looks. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that posts from the earlier honjin were reused in the columns along the front, together with a crosspiece shaped like a Kōryō, the curved tie beam of temple and shrine carpentry. The Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House is, in effect, a postwar frame carrying pieces of the Edo-period honjin in its most visible face.
What to Look For: Black Plaster and Lattice
The roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, set Hirairi fashion with the ridge parallel to the street. On the ground floor a row of projecting Degōshi lattices lines the front. Upstairs the wall is pierced by low Mushiko-mado slit windows, and the whole exterior is finished in black Shikkui plaster.
Black plaster soaks up light and gives the Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House a heavy, formal presence. Stand on the far side of the road and the vertical lines of the lattice, the band of low windows and the long eaves stack up into a front that still reads as a honjin built for important guests.
Look closely at the posts along the facade. Which of them came from the earlier building has not been published, so it is worth asking during a booked visit.
Inside, an earth-floored Doma runs along the east side, and seven rooms in three rows fill the west side, the familiar Machiya arrangement of a passage on one side and rooms on the other.
Seeing the Main House
The facade of the Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House can be seen from the old Tokaido at any time. It faces south, so the shadows of the lattice are sharpest in the middle of the day.
The building is still the family's home, and the interior is shown by reservation only. Booking details, fees and transport are covered on the page for the Tsuchiyama Family Residence as a whole. When viewing from the street, stand across the road rather than in front of the doorway.
Q&A
- When was the Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House built?
- It was completed in 1960, rebuilt to keep as much of the old honjin character as possible.
- When was the Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House registered as a cultural property?
- On 27 February 2023, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property contributing to the historic landscape.
- What survives of the old honjin in the Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House?
- Posts from the earlier honjin and a crosspiece shaped like a curved tie beam were reused in the front of the building.
- Can I go inside the Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House?
- Only with an advance reservation, as it is a private home. Without one you can view the facade from the street.
- How is the Tsuchiyama Family Residence Main House laid out inside?
- An earth-floored passage runs along the east side, with seven rooms in three rows to the west. It has two storeys and a building area of 174 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Tsuchiyama Family Residence (Tsuchiyama-shuku Honjin Site) Main House (土山家住宅（土山宿本陣跡）主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1628 and others, Aza Harinokihara, Kitatsuchiyama, Tsuchiyama-cho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2023/2/27 (Reiwa 5) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey wooden building, tiled roof, building area 174 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Interior open by reservation (facade visible from the old Tokaido) |
References
- 土山家住宅（土山宿本陣跡）主屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014488
- 土山家住宅（土山宿本陣跡）主屋 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/578222
- 土山家住宅（土山宿本陣跡）国の登録有形文化財に (Koka City, Historical and Cultural Properties Division)
- https://www.city.koka.lg.jp/21838.htm
Last verified: 2026.09.29
