An 11-Bay Farmhouse Dated by Its Ridge Tag
The Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House (旧ヤマジュウ田村家住宅主屋, Kyū Yamajū Tamura-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a single-story timber house in Fussa, Tokyo, built in 1902 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 19, 2014.
Its date comes from a Munafuda, the wooden ridge tag carpenters fixed in the roof space when the frame went up. Family records show the house was remodeled in 1916. It was built in the same year the Yamaju branch of the Tamura family split from the sake-brewing main household, and three generations lived in it afterward.
Hip-and-Gable Roof, Six-Room Plan
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House stands in the middle of the plot facing south. It runs 11 bays (ken) along its length under a tiled Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof, with lean-to eaves, or Geya, wrapped around the outside. The building area is 268 square meters; the city's own figure is 267.81.
Inside, the layout follows the Rokumadori pattern, six rooms arranged in two rows of three, with the earthen-floored work area, the Doma, on the right as you face the house. Part of the doma has a raised board floor laid out over it. The principal reception room is set in an L-shaped arrangement and has a display alcove. The big front doors slide apart to either side.
What sets the house apart from older farmhouses is the corridor running around three sides of the rooms, and a bath and toilet placed under the main roof rather than in outbuildings. The Fussa City Local History Museum singles out both: a traditional plan, made brighter and easier to live in with modern touches.
Why the Main House Was Registered
The Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House was registered under the criterion of a building that has become a model of its type, as registration number 13-0350. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a large modern-era farmhouse whose sliding front doors and three-sided corridor show a developed plan and refined design.
The two storehouses on the same site were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape. Only the main house was chosen as a model, and what earned it that place is the plan itself: the old six-room layout kept intact, then linked by corridors and given indoor washrooms in the last years of the Meiji period.
The Inner Reception Room and a Cupboard That Opens Three Ways
The innermost room was the most formal in the house and was used for weddings, according to the June 15, 2024 issue of the city newsletter Koho Fussa. It has a Tokonoma alcove and carved transoms above the sliding doors, and even the door pulls on the fusuma panels are decorated.
The rooms on the north side were for everyday living, and behind their sliding panels sit built-in chests of drawers. Between the north and south rooms is a storage closet that can be opened from three directions, which the city describes as highly unusual.
The firm that carried out the renovation before the house opened to the public recorded that the main pillar is a keyaki (zelkova) post about 36 centimeters square, and the front gate doors are made of hinoki cypress. The outer walls are finished in gray lime plaster. The inner reception room measures 10 tatami mats and the Buddhist altar room 8, laid with borderless mats. Along the veranda, the old storm shutters were kept and glass doors added.
Seeing the Main House
The interior of the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House is open, and you can walk through the reception rooms and corridors. The roof space is closed, so the ridge tag itself cannot be seen.
For the exterior, stand on the south side and look at the front: the big hip-and-gable roof and the lower eaves around it stack up clearly from there. Inside, work through the alcove and transoms of the inner room, the decorated door pulls, the built-in chests on the north side, and the three-way closet. Seasonal displays are set out in the rooms twice a year, in summer and from winter into spring, and at those times the house is furnished with period household objects.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House built?
- A ridge tag in the roof space dates it to 1902. It was remodeled in 1916.
- What is special about the layout of the Yamaju Tamura main house?
- It keeps a traditional six-room plan with the earthen work area on the right, but adds a corridor around three sides and puts the bath and toilet indoors.
- Why is the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered as a building that has become a model of its type. The national agency cites its sliding front doors and three-sided corridor as signs of a developed and refined design.
- Can I go inside the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House?
- Yes. The rooms and corridors are open to visitors. The roof space is closed.
- What should I look for inside the Yamaju Tamura main house?
- The alcove and transoms of the inner reception room, the decorated door pulls, the built-in chests in the north rooms, and the closet that opens from three sides.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House (旧ヤマジュウ田村家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1158 Aza-Naga, Oaza Fussa, Fussa City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 13-0350 |
| Year Designated | Registered December 19, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story timber, tiled roof, 11 bays long, building area 268 square meters |
| Owner | Fussa City |
| Public Access | Open (interior viewable, free admission, roof space closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010270
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/277963
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/yamaju
- Fussa City Local History Museum: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://www.museum.fussa.tokyo.jp/archives/fc_cultural/546
- Koho Fussa, June 15, 2024 issue: Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://city-fussa.kohoplus.jp/article/%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E7%A6%8F%E7%94%9F%E5%B8%82/%E5%BA%83%E5%A0%B1%E3%81%B5%E3%81%A3%E3%81%95-%E4%BB%A4%E5%92%8C6%E5%B9%B46%E6%9C%8815%E6%97%A5%E5%8F%B7/%E5%9B%BD%E7%99%BB%E9%8C%B2%E6%9C%89%E5%BD%A2%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96%E8%B2%A1%E5%BB%BA%E9%80%A0%E7%89%A9-%E6%97%A7%E3%83%A4%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A5%E3%82%A6%E7%94%B0%E6%9D%91%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F/
- Denshosha: Renovation of the Former Yamaju Tamura Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://densho-sha.co.jp/160401_yama10.html
Last verified: 2026.10.03
