What Is the Zaima Family Residence Main House?
The Zaima Family Residence Main House (財間家住宅主屋, Zaima-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a late Meiji-period (1898 to 1911) Machiya townhouse facing west onto Honmachi-dori in Ushiroda, Tsuwano Town, Shimane Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on September 10, 2010.
It is a two-story timber building with a 15-meter street frontage and a building area of 408 m², the largest of the seven registered buildings of the Zaima Family Residence. The description of the Zaima Garden on Cultural Heritage Online says the house was built in 1899 as a home with a shop selling sake and other liquor. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records alterations in the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) and again in the mid-Showa period (1946 to 1965).
Why the Zaima Family Residence Main House Was Registered
Of the seven Zaima buildings, only the main house was registered as a model of form and design, under registration number 32-0120. The other six were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape. In other words, the main house was judged worth keeping for its own architecture, not just for its place in the street.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the Zaima Family Residence Main House a representative example of Tsuwano townhouse architecture. Merchant houses on Honmachi-dori traditionally kept their shop on the street, and this one composes its whole 15-meter front out of lattice and plaster.
Reading the Front of the Zaima Main House
A wall of lattice upstairs
The roof is a Kirizuma-zukuri gable covered in interlocking pan tiles, with the long side to the street. A lean-to roof, or Geya, projects over the ground floor along the front.
The upper floor is the part to study. Only the two ends are finished as Ōkabe, solid plaster walls that hide the posts. Everything between them is a broad expanse of wooden lattice, so the two white panels frame the lattice like bookends and pull the wide front together into a single composition.
Downstairs the lattice changes character. Flat lattice screens alternate with Degōshi, lattice bays that project out toward the street. Stand back and the shift in rhythm from the upper lattice to the two lower types is easy to read.
Parlor and service rooms
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the formal parlor rooms lie along the north side of the Zaima Family Residence Main House, and the kitchen, bath and toilet are attached at the back. Beyond the north parlor is the garden, with the Heya-no-kura storehouse on its far side. From the kitchen wing at the rear, the pickle storehouse and firewood shed continues the building line eastward.
Seeing the Zaima Family Residence Main House
The Zaima Family Residence Main House is a private home and its interior is not open to the public. What you can see is the street front on Honmachi-dori. For the best view of the lattice, cross to the west side of the street and let your eye move from the plaster end panels on the upper floor to the lattice between them. The main gate stands immediately to the north.
If you take photographs, keep to the exterior from the street and avoid shooting into the rooms through the lattice. Directions are on the page for the Zaima Family Residence.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Zaima Family Residence Main House
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- When was the Zaima Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji period (1898 to 1911), with early and mid-Showa alterations. The description of the Zaima Garden gives 1899 as the year the main house was built.
- Why is the Zaima Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on September 10, 2010 as a model of form and design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs regards it as a representative Tsuwano townhouse.
- How big is the Zaima Family Residence Main House?
- It is a two-story timber building with a 15-meter frontage and a building area of 408 m².
- What should I look at on the Zaima Family Residence Main House?
- The upper-floor front, where plaster walls at each end frame a wide band of lattice, and the flat and projecting lattice on the ground floor.
- Can I go inside the Zaima Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home. The front can be seen from Honmachi-dori.
Basic Information
| Name | Zaima Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | Ha 38 and others, Ushiroda Aza Honmachi, Tsuwano Town, Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 408 m², frontage 15 m |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from Honmachi-dori) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Zaima Family Residence Main House (in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008328
- Cultural Heritage Online: Zaima Garden (in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/259342
- Tsuwano Culture Portal (Tsuwano Board of Education): Cultural Properties (in Japanese)
- https://tsuwano-bunka.net/cultural-property/
Last verified: 2026.10.01
