What Is the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex?
The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex (立川家住宅離れ, Tatsukawa-ke Jūtaku Hanare) is a two-storey house of the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) on the estate of a former shredded-tobacco merchant family in Tsuji, Ikawa-cho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2017.
It stands in the middle of the plot. The building measures 11.0 m by 6.0 m, is built of wood on two storeys under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, and has a building area of 85 square metres. It was added deep inside the estate some years after the main house that fronts the lane.
Why the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex Was Registered
The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex was registered on 27 October 2017 as number 36-174, under the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records why it was built. After tobacco became a state monopoly, the head of the family made a success of himself somewhere else, and the annex was the house he built in order to come back to Tsuji. Once the Tobacco Monopoly Act took effect in 1904, manufacturing passed into state hands and the shredded-tobacco merchants of Tsuji lost the core of their business. The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex is the physical record of a family head who left after that blow, made his way elsewhere, and then chose to settle back in his home town.
The Agency treats the annex, story included, as a symbol of local history. Tsuji rose on tobacco; this one house shows, from a single family's side, what happened to the town after the monopoly.
What to Look For at the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex
Projecting beams on decorative brackets
The eaves of the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex rest on beams that project beyond the wall face, a method known as Degeta-zukuri. The Mochiokuri brackets that carry those beams from below are shaped as ornamental pieces rather than left plain. It is a townhouse technique that lets the eaves reach out further while turning their supports into a feature, and it gives this two-storey house much of its character.
Shutter boxes with a chidori pattern
The second feature the Agency singles out is the Todobukuro, the boxes that hold the sliding storm shutters when they are open, which are finished with a chidori pattern. Chidori is the word for the plover, and in Japanese design it also names staggered, zigzag arrangements. The shutter boxes are among the most visible parts of the house, and decorating them shows how much thought went into the look of the building.
Seeing the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex
The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex is not open to the public, and no interior viewings are announced (checked 2 October 2026). Standing in the middle of the plot, behind the main house, it is likely to be hard to see from the lane in front, and how much of it is visible from the road has not been confirmed. Please do not enter the grounds; look only at what can be seen from outside.
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Q&A
- When and why was the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex built?
- The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex dates from the Taisho era (1912 to 1926). The Agency for Cultural Affairs says it was built by a head of the family who had prospered elsewhere after tobacco became a state monopoly, so that he could return to Tsuji.
- What are the design highlights of the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex?
- The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex is noted for its projecting eave beams carried on decorative brackets, and for shutter boxes finished with a chidori pattern.
- How large is the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex?
- The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex measures 11.0 m by 6.0 m and is a two-storey wooden building with a building area of 85 square metres, under a gabled pantile roof.
- Can visitors see the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex?
- The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex is not open to the public and no interior viewings are announced (checked 2 October 2026). Because it stands in the middle of the plot, the view from the road may be limited.
- When was the Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex registered as a cultural property?
- The Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 October 2017, as number 36-174. All four Tatsukawa buildings were registered on the same day.
Basic Information
| Name | Tatsukawa Family Residence Annex |
|---|---|
| Location | 159-1 Tsuji, Ikawacho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2017 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 11.0 m by 6.0 m, wooden, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 85 m² |
| Owner | Not listed (Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 立川家住宅離れ (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012054
- Cultural Heritage Online: 立川家住宅離れ (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/256615
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Registration of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), recommendation of 21 July 2017 (Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/r1392281_22.pdf
- Tobacco and Salt Museum: Tobacco culture under the monopoly, pre-war (Japanese)
- https://www.tabashio.jp/collection/tobacco/t21/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
