A Four-Storey Pavilion with Cusped Windows

The Shimao Family Residence Detached House (島尾家住宅離れ) is a four-storey timber detached house of about 1877 at Tsuji, Ikawa-cho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, which in 2017 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled roof and a building area of 127 square metres, registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

The Agency places it behind the family's shop and main house.

Structure

According to the Agency, it is a four-storey timber building with a distinctive tower-like exterior and cusped windows.

The third floor has a ten-mat reception room and a seven-and-a-half-mat anteroom with verandas on the south and west; the fourth floor, a six-mat room ringed by boarded floor, is said to have been used as a games room.

What to Look For

The Agency calls it a key building in the townscape. Its four storeys, remarkable for an early Meiji timber building, and its cusped windows stand out in the streets of Tsuji.

Visiting the Shimao Family Residence Detached House

It appears to be private, and no official visitor information could be found. The exterior can be seen from nearby.

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Q&A

QWhen was the detached house built?
AAround 1877.
QWhat does it look like?
AA four-storey tower-like timber building with cusped windows.
QWhat was the top floor used for?
AReportedly as a games room.
QHow is the third floor arranged?
AA ten-mat room and anteroom with verandas.
QWhere is it?
ABehind the shop and main house in Tsuji, Miyoshi City.

Basic Information

NameShimao Family Residence Detached House (島尾家住宅離れ)
Location85-2 Tsuji, Ikawa-cho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture
DesignationRegistered Tangible Cultural Property (building)
Year DesignatedRegistered 2017/10/27 (Heisei 29)
Quantity1 building
DimensionsFour-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 127 square metres
OwnerNot recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database
Public AccessExterior visible from nearby

References

Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Shimao Family Residence Detached House (Japanese)
https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012049
Cultural Heritage Online: Shimao Family Residence Detached House (Japanese)
https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/294730

Last verified: 2026.09.29