About the Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House
The Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House (常松家住宅主屋, Tsunematsu-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a thatched, single-story dwelling in Gui, Hikawa-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, built around 1874 and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 29, 2019. It covers a building area of 252 square meters.
The house stands in the middle of the estate with its front to the south. The annex, the storehouse and both gates are placed in relation to it, so this is the building the whole homestead turns on. It was repaired around the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) and again in 1984.
A Thatched Roof Ringed by Tiles
The Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House has a hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri) of thick thatch (Kayabuki). Around all four sides runs a lower lean-to roof (Geya) covered in pantiles (Sangawara-buki). The result is a two-tier silhouette: a steep, heavy mass of straw in the center, with a skirt of gray tile wrapped around its base.
Two wings (Tsunoya) project from the body of the house, one at the south end of the east side and one at the north end of the west side. Set at opposite corners, they break up the rectangle, so the roofs overlap differently depending on where you stand.
An Earthen Floor and Six Rooms
Inside, the east part of the Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House is a Doma, an earth-floored work and entry area. To the west are six rooms in two rows of three, front and back, separated by a central corridor (Naka-roka). The innermost room of the front row, in the southwest corner, is the Zashiki, the formal tatami room for guests.
The rooms grow more formal as you move west from the earthen floor, ending in the guest room. The corridor lets people reach the back of the house without walking through the rooms in between. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says the house shows the traditional farmhouse type of the Izumo Plain well.
Why It Was Registered
Of the five registered structures at the Tsunematsu Family Residence, only the main house was registered as a model of form. The other four were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape.
The features the Agency singles out are the thatched hipped roof with its tiled lean-to, and the plan of an earthen floor beside two rows of three rooms split by a corridor. A house of about 1874 that still carries its thatch, alongside a storehouse and gates of the same period, is what gives this building its weight.
Seeing the Main House
The Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House is a private home, and as of September 2026 we found no notice of interior openings. The earthen floor, the guest room and the corridor are all inside and cannot be seen from outside.
The house sits in the center of the plot, with the wall of the middle gate and the front gate to its south. What can be seen from the road, if anything, is the thatched roof above the walls and gates. If you take photographs, keep the residents' daily life out of the frame. Directions are on the Tsunematsu Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House built?
- Around 1874. It was repaired around the Taisho era and again in 1984.
- What kind of roof does the Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House have?
- A thatched hipped roof with a tiled lean-to roof running around all four sides. Wings project at the southeast and northwest corners.
- How is the Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House laid out inside?
- An earthen floor on the east side, and six rooms in two rows of three on the west, divided by a central corridor. The front room at the far end is the formal guest room.
- Can visitors go inside the Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House?
- It is a private home and we found no official information about openings. You can only look from the road without entering the grounds.
- When did the Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On March 29, 2019, under registration number 32-191. It was registered as a model of form.
Basic Information
| Name | Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House (常松家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 333 Horikawa, Gui, Hikawa-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2019 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 252 square meters (timber, single story, thatched roof) |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (private home; interior closed) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012797
- Cultural Heritage Online: Tsunematsu Family Residence Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/451440
- Agency for Cultural Affairs press release on new Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (recommendation of November 16, 2018, in Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2018/12/14/a1411175_01_1.pdf
- Shimane Prefecture: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures) (in Japanese)
- https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/life/bunka/bunkazai/shimane/tourokubunkazai2.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
