About the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House
The Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House (奥野省吾家住宅主屋, Okuno Shōgo-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a two-story timber town house in Mori, Hakuta-cho, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, built in 1911 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005. It covers 158 square meters and faces west onto the old road.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Okuno Shogo main house as a model of form, noting that its tall front and its many openings are typical of the last years of the Meiji era. Built in the same year as the storehouse and rear nagaya behind it, it is the public face of the estate.
A Through-Passage and Six Rooms
On the ground floor of the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House, an earth-floored passage (toori-doma) runs from the street to the back along the south side. To the north, the raised floor is divided into two rows of three rooms, three facing the road and three behind them.
The passage let visitors and goods reach the back of the house and doubled as a place for cooking and other work. Pushing the earth floor to one side and dividing the rest neatly into rooms is a plan found widely in town houses built along a street.
Lattice Bays and a Boarded North Gable
The Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House is a two-story Shinkabe post-and-plaster building with a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantile (Sangawara-buki) roof. Lean-to roofs (Geya) run along the east, west and north sides, and the ground floor facing the road has projecting lattice bays (Degōshi).
The north gable wall is clad in vertical boards. A full second story and a front filled with openings are what the Agency means by late-Meiji character. The Okuno Motoke Residence Main House nearby, built in 1872, is a single story with only a partial upper floor; set side by side, the two houses show town houses in Mori rising to a full two stories over about forty years.
Visiting the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House
No owner is named in the national database for the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House, and no public opening has been announced. Plan to view it from the road.
Because it faces the road, the lattice bays on the ground floor and the height of the upper story can be seen from outside. There is no official word on photography. As the house may still be lived in, please stay off the property and do not look in through gateways or doors. Directions are on the Okuno Shogo Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- Can you visit the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House?
- No public opening has been announced, but the house faces the road and its exterior can be seen from there.
- When was the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1911, the same year as the storehouse and the rear nagaya.
- What is the floor plan of the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House?
- An earth-floored passage runs along the south side of the ground floor, with two rows of three rooms on the raised floor beside it.
- What should I look for on the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House?
- The projecting lattice bays on the ground floor, the full second story, the lean-to roofs on three sides and the board-clad north gable.
- What is the registration number of the Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House?
- 32-0041. It was registered as a model of form.
Basic Information
| Name | Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House (奥野省吾家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 188 Mori, Hakuta-cho, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2005 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 158 square meters (two-story timber, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Not listed in the ACA database |
| Public Access | No public opening announced; exterior visible from the road |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004622
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Okuno Motoke Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004610
- Cultural Heritage Online: Okuno Shogo Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/169932
- Shimane Prefecture: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/life/bunka/bunkazai/shimane/tourokubunkazai2.html
- Yasugi City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Yasugi (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.yasugi.shimane.jp/kurashi/bunka/bunkazai/sibunkazai.data/tourokubunkazai.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.06
