A headman's house facing Mutsumibashi-dori
The Morita Family Residence Main House (森田家住宅主屋, Morita-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a large late-Edo farmhouse in Ogawa, Akiruno City, Tokyo, built between 1830 and 1868 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 24 December 2013, registration number 13-0313.
The Morita Family Residence Main House stands in the middle of the family's lot, its front turned to Mutsumibashi-dori. It is a single-storey timber building under a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) roof of pantiles, with some sections in copper, and covers 178 square metres. The roof and part of the earth-floored work area were altered around 1973, but according to the family's description the house is otherwise much as it was built.
No construction record survives. On the evidence of its detailing it is dated to the closing years of the Edo period, roughly the same time as the family's 1852 shop storehouse.
Why it was listed
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the house as a large farmhouse of imposing presence and singles out three things: a formal entrance porch built to a serious standard, a heavy timber frame, and refined decoration in the reception rooms.
The plan is a classic one for a big rural household: six raised-floor rooms in two rows of three, running east to west, with the most formal rooms at the west end. The front row holds the entrance hall and the main reception room; the back row holds an inner room, a storeroom (Nando) and the family sitting room. It is the house of a family that ran village affairs.
The entrance hall itself is carefully finished. Covered Nageshi rails run along two walls, a zelkova beam crosses the long side, and the ceiling is a battened Saobuchi-tenjō. The rails are held with hand-forged nails, their heads hidden under crane-shaped covers (Kugikakushi).
What to look for
The piece to study on the Morita Family Residence Main House is the Shikidai porch that projects from the centre of the front. It is built entirely of zelkova under a cusped karahafu gable with a boxed ridge, and the gable face is framed by a double tie beam (Kōryō) and a vase-shaped strut (Taiheizuka). Bracket sets with small bearing plates, moulded ends, carved scrollwork on the beams, end grain painted white and neatly chamfered edges: almost every detail comes from temple and shrine carpentry.
Inside the porch the ceiling is battened rather than coffered, a point the family's own description draws attention to. The formal vocabulary is concentrated on the outside; the interior keeps to domestic manners.
Stand a little to one side rather than square in front. On a clear morning, low light from the south catches the carving on the tie beams and shows the depth of the curved gable.
Visiting
The Morita Family Residence Main House is still lived in and its interior is not open to the public. It can be seen only from outside, over the gate. Entering the grounds requires the owner's permission.
There is no posted rule on photography. Pictures taken from the street over the gate are unproblematic; inside the grounds, keep in mind that this is a family home. Directions and details of the café and restaurant in the old storehouses are on the Morita Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can you go inside the Morita Family Residence Main House?
- No. The Morita Family Residence Main House is still a family home and its interior is not open. You can see the exterior over the gate; entering the grounds needs the owner's permission.
- When was the Morita Family Residence Main House built?
- The exact year is unknown. It is dated to the late Edo period, between 1830 and 1868, and the family considers it roughly contemporary with the 1852 shop storehouse. Parts were altered around 1973.
- What is special about the entrance porch of the Morita Main House?
- It is built entirely of zelkova, with a curved karahafu gable and a double tie beam and strut on the gable face, using detailing normally found on temples and shrines.
- What is the floor plan of the Morita Family Residence Main House?
- Six raised rooms in two rows of three, with the formal rooms at the west end and an inner room, a storeroom and the family sitting room along the back.
- When did the Morita Family Residence Main House become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 24 December 2013, together with the other eight structures of the Morita Family Residence. Its registration number is 13-0313.
Basic Information
| Name | Morita Family Residence Main House (森田家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 633-1 Konaka, Ogawa, Akiruno City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/12/24 (Heisei 25); registration no. 13-0313 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building; building area 178 square metres |
| Owner | Not published (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior visible over the gate |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Morita Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009728
- Cultural Heritage Online: Morita Family Residence Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/207647
- Kanmi Sabō Misegura Hisamori: cultural properties
- https://www.hisamori.biz/pages/10/
- Akiruno City: designated and registered cultural properties in Akiruno
- https://www.city.akiruno.tokyo.jp/kanko/0000001910.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
