About the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House
The Yamamoto Family Residence Main House (山本家住宅主屋, Yamamoto-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a Machiya, a town house, in Mori, Hakuta-cho, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, built in 1884 and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in 2005. It faces east onto the old road and covers 199 square meters.
Of the seven registered buildings at the Yamamoto Family Residence, the main house is the one at the front; the other six stand behind it. The Agency for Cultural Affairs rates the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House as an early-Meiji town house that serves as a landmark for the area, and registered it as a building that sets a model of form.
A Low Upper Floor Behind the Lattice
The roof is gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) and laid with pantiles (Sangawara-buki), and the entrance is on the long side parallel to the ridge (Hirairi). The walls are built in the Shinkabe manner, with posts left exposed in the plaster.
The national database is not consistent about how many stories the Yamamoto main house has. Its structure field says two stories, while its commentary calls it single-story with the whole exterior rising as a Tsushi-nikai, a low attic floor under the roof that makes a house look two-storied from the street. This article gives the structure field's "two stories" as the formal figure and follows the commentary for how the building is actually put together.
Along the ground floor front run Shitomido, hinged board shutters, and a projecting lattice (Degōshi). The database classes the building under commerce and services, and that shuttered, latticed front is the face of a house that did business with the road.
Through Passage and Guest Room
Inside the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House, the south side of the ground floor is an earth-floored through passage (Doma) and the north side is raised flooring. The passage runs straight back from the street toward the storehouses and the kamaya behind.
At the north gable end is a guest room which, the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes, opens generously toward the garden. The street front is closed off with lattice and shutters; the north room does the opposite and turns toward the garden.
The main house is younger than the rear nagaya, the kamaya and the small storehouse at the back of the plot. It was built in 1884 in front of outbuildings that already dated from the late Edo period (1830 to 1867).
Visiting the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House
No public opening of the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House has been announced, so the guest room and passage cannot be seen. From the road, though, you can take in the gabled roof and the shutters and lattice across the ground floor. Step back a little from the frontage and look up to see how the low attic floor sits under the eaves.
There is no official guidance on photography. This is a home: stay off the property and keep doorways and windows out of your frame. Directions to Mori are on the Yamamoto Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yamamoto Family Residence Main House
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- Can you visit the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House?
- No public opening has been announced, so viewing is from the road. The shutters and lattice on the ground floor front are visible from there.
- When was the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1884. The rear nagaya, kamaya and small storehouse at the back of the plot are older, dated to the late Edo period.
- Is the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House one story or two?
- The national database lists it as two stories in its structure field, while its commentary describes a single-story house whose exterior rises as a low tsushi-nikai attic floor.
- What is the layout of the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House?
- The south side of the ground floor is an earth-floored through passage, the north side is raised flooring, and a guest room at the north end looks onto the garden.
- When was the Yamamoto Family Residence Main House registered?
- On February 9, 2005, together with the other six buildings of the estate. Its registration number is 32-0034.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamamoto Family Residence Main House (山本家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 71 Mori, Hakuta-cho, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2005 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 199 square meters (two-story timber, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (exterior only) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Yamamoto Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004615
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yamamoto Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/151225
- Shimane Prefecture: Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/life/bunka/bunkazai/shimane/tourokubunkazai2.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
