A small Western house on the corner
The Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing (若林家住宅洋室棟, Wakabayashi-ke Jūtaku Yōshitsutō) is a two-storey wooden Western-style annex built in 1928 in Inukata-cho, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2016. Attached to the northeast corner of the main house with its ridge running north to south, it has a building area of just 28 square metres, one of the smallest of the eight registered structures on the estate.
It looks nothing like its neighbours. The roof is a jerkinhead, a gable with its peak clipped off at an angle, laid in red tiles, and a chimney rises from it. The walls are finished in Araidashi, an artificial-stone render in which fine gravel mixed into cement is washed out at the surface, leaving a grainy texture close to cut stone.
Inside there is one Western-style room on each floor. The ground floor served as a reception room for guests.
Why it was registered
The Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing was registered as a model of architectural design; the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a reception wing of refined design.
The ground-floor reception room is the reason. Its fireplace and a bay window with built-in seating draw on the Tudor style, and the ceiling is decorated with relief work picked out in colour. Tudor, derived from sixteenth-century English houses, was a common reference for Western-style homes in Japan in the Taishō and early Shōwa years. Here a single English-flavoured room has been attached to an otherwise Japanese house.
Shiga is also where the American architect William Merrell Vories built much of his work, from a base in Ōmihachiman. According to the Wakabayashi family's website, Otokichi was a friend of Vories, and the family has long said that Vories designed this wing. The family asked Yamagata Masaaki, a leading researcher on Vories, to look into it, but he could not confirm the designer. For now, the Vories attribution rests on family tradition alone.
What to look for
From outside, look at colour and texture. The red jerkinhead roof and chimney stand out at once among the grey pantiles of the estate, and the pebbly render of the walls shows best in the low, raking light of early morning or late afternoon.
The Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing stands beside the north storehouse at the northeast corner of the plot. White plastered storehouse and red-roofed Western wing side by side make the most memorable view of the estate from the road.
The fireplace, window seat and painted ceiling are all inside.
Visiting
The interior is not open to the public, and the Hikone Tourism Association lists the building for exterior viewing only. The owner sometimes rents part of the house as event space and holds occasional events; if you hope to see the reception room, check in advance if it is included.
The exterior can be viewed from the road along the north side of the plot, toward the northeast corner. There is no official guidance on photography, but please keep to the view from the road, as the wing adjoins a private home. Directions are on the Wakabayashi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can you go inside the Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing?
- No. The interior is not open to the public, and the Hikone Tourism Association lists it for exterior viewing only. The owner occasionally rents out part of the house and holds events, but ask in advance if the Western-style wing is included.
- Was the Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing designed by William Merrell Vories?
- The family has long said so, according to its website, but an investigation by a Vories researcher could not confirm the designer. The attribution rests on family tradition.
- What is inside the Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing?
- One Western-style room on each floor. The ground-floor reception room has a fireplace and a bay window with built-in seating in the Tudor style, and a ceiling decorated with coloured relief work.
- Where can you see the Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing from?
- It is attached to the northeast corner of the main house and stands beside the north storehouse at the corner of the plot. From the road on the north side you can see its red jerkinhead roof and chimney.
- What does the exterior of the Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing look like?
- It has a red-tiled jerkinhead roof with a chimney, and walls finished in an artificial-stone araidashi render. It is easy to pick out among the grey-tiled roofs of the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing (若林家住宅洋室棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 758 Inukata-cho, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration No. 25-0385, criterion: a model of architectural design |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/11/29 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, jerkinhead roof, tiled, building area 28 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the road to the north) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011336
- Cultural Heritage Online: Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/288093
- Wakabayashi Family Residence Western-Style Wing (Hikone Tourism Association, Japanese)
- https://www.hikoneshi.com/sightseeing/article/wakabayashike-jutaku-yoto
- Wakabayashi Family Residence (owner-run website, Japanese)
- https://shiga-bunka.com/
- List of Designated and Registered Cultural Properties in Hikone (Hikone City)
- https://www.city.hikone.lg.jp/kakuka/kanko_bunka/8/2_2/4655.html
- Wakabayashi Family Residence (Shiga Association of Registered Tangible Cultural Property Owners)
- https://shiga-tobunkai.org/catalogue/koto/431
Last verified: 2026.09.26
