What Is the Yamashita Family Residence Annex?
The Yamashita Family Residence Annex (山下家住宅別邸, Yamashita-ke Jūtaku Bettei) is a two-storey timber town house of the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) in Tsuji, Ikawa-cho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, and was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 27, 2017. It stands across the road to the north of the main house and is now used as a community space called Tsuji no Irori.
With a building area of 172 square meters it is the second-largest of the Yamashita buildings. The gabled roof is laid with hongawara tiles, and a lean-to geya roof runs along the front. On dating, Miyoshi City's historic-character plan places it between the late Meiji and Taisho eras on the basis of interviews and construction methods, a slightly wider range than the Agency for Cultural Affairs gives.
The Street Front of the Yamashita Annex
The Yamashita Family Residence Annex turns the long side of its big roof to the road, the hirairi arrangement. The roof has a mukuri, a gentle outward swell between eaves and ridge, matching the curve of the main house roof opposite. The upper storey is unusually tall, which makes the street wall look all the larger.
At each end of the roof rises a sode-udatsu, a wing wall carried up above the roofline. Udatsu began as firebreaks between neighboring houses, but in Ikeda and Tsuji merchants competed to build them as displays of wealth.
According to Miyoshi City's plan, the front wall and the northern udatsu are painted black. The story is that this was done during the Second World War to protect the building from air raids. If you notice the color as you look up, that is the reason.
Why the Annex Was Registered
The Yamashita Annex was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency points to its tall upper floor and curved hirairi roof facing the street, and calls it the town house at the heart of central Tsuji's historic streetscape. Of all the Yamashita buildings, it is the one that shows itself most fully to the road.
Restoration and New Life as Tsuji no Irori
Miyoshi City's historic-character plan, in force from 2019, includes both the repair and the public use of the Yamashita annex. According to the city's progress reports, the building was prepared for public use in fiscal 2019 and 2020, and from fiscal 2021 a local group, the Tsuji-machi revitalization council, has run a farm-produce market and a canteen there. From fiscal 2022 it has also hosted madder-dyeing workshops and study sessions for local guides.
Ikeda Cable Network reported that the Saturday morning market, the Tsuji-machi Niko Niko Asaichi, restarted in the renovated Yamashita Family Residence Annex in June 2021. It is a registered building that has stayed in everyday use as a place where neighbors gather.
Visiting the Yamashita Family Residence Annex
The annex is the only one of the five Yamashita buildings with a chance of getting inside. You can enter when the market or an event is on, but current days and conditions of use could not be confirmed (checked October 2026), so it is best to check with Miyoshi City before you go. The exterior can be seen from the road at any time. There is no official guidance on photography. Directions to Tsuji are on the Yamashita Family Residence (Miyoshi) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Yamashita Family Residence Annex built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taisho era (1912 to 1926); Miyoshi City estimates late Meiji to Taisho. It was registered on October 27, 2017.
- Can I go inside the Yamashita Annex?
- It is used as the community space Tsuji no Irori and is open during markets and events. Current days could not be confirmed, so please check with Miyoshi City first (checked October 2026).
- Why are the udatsu on the Yamashita Family Residence Annex black?
- Miyoshi City's plan records that they were blacked out during the Second World War to protect the building from air raids. The front wall and the northern udatsu are painted black.
- What does the Yamashita Annex look like from the street?
- A broad gabled roof of hongawara tiles with a gentle mukuri curve faces the road, with sode-udatsu at both ends, a tall upper storey and a lean-to roof along the front.
- Where is the Yamashita Family Residence Annex?
- At 332-1 Tsuji, Ikawa-cho, Miyoshi City, on the north side of the road opposite the main house, about a 10-minute walk from Tsuji Station on the JR Tokushima Line.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamashita Family Residence Annex |
|---|---|
| Location | 332-1 Tsuji, Ikawacho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 172 m² |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database; restoration carried out by Miyoshi City) |
| Public Access | Used as the community space Tsuji no Irori (check opening days) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Yamashita Family Residence Annex
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012065
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yamashita Family Residence Annex (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/286236
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: Miyoshi City historic-character plan, summary (Japanese)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001260013.pdf
- Ikeda Cable Network: Hesokko News, Tsuji no Irori, June 2021 (Japanese)
- https://ikedacable.co.jp/program/6216/
Last verified: 2026.10.01
