About the Endo Family Residence Main House
The Endo Family Residence Main House (遠藤家住宅主屋, Endō-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a large late Edo period (1751 to 1829) farmhouse-style dwelling at 486 Bōryō, Daisen Town, Tottori Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 18, 2003.
It is a single-storey timber building with a floor area of 264 m². The hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri) is thatched (Kayabuki), and at the time of registration the thatch was sheathed in steel as a temporary covering. The house stands near the middle of an estate of about 3,000 tsubo, facing east.
Neither date for the Endo Family Residence Main House rests on a written record. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the late Edo period on the evidence of its plan and structure; Daisen Town, going by building technique, suggests the second half of the 18th century.
A Staggered Four-Room Plan and a Formal Entrance
The Agency describes the plan of the Endo Family Residence Main House as a staggered Yomadori. A yomadori divides the living area into four rooms in a grid, the standard layout of Japanese farmhouses; in the staggered version the partitions between front and back rooms do not line up.
The detail the Agency singles out is a Shikidai entrance set between the main living room and the guest room. A shikidai is a raised wooden step for receiving visitors of rank, and ordinary farmhouses did not have one. The Endo family served the mountain temple Daisen-ji as retained samurai, and the entrance marks the house as belonging to people of that standing.
It is largely because of this reception front that Daisen Town describes the house as having the look of a samurai residence.
Roof and Surroundings of the Endo Family Residence Main House
The house is Hirairi, entered on its long side, parallel to the ridge. The hipped roof slopes down on all four sides, and even wrapped in steel over the thatch it keeps the heavy, rounded bulk that makes the Endo Family Residence Main House read as the center of the estate.
The registration also covers the inner gate and a wall that bends away from the house, 9 m in total. They screen the forecourt and count as part of the house's formal setting.
Why the Main House Was Registered
The Endo Family Residence Main House was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape. The Agency notes that the sheer scale of the building makes it the focal point of the local scenery.
Size is not the whole case. The plan and structure are characteristic of the late Edo period, and the formal entrance shows the household's rank plainly, which together set the house apart within the village of Bōryō.
Seeing the Endo Family Residence Main House
The Endo Family Residence Main House is a private home and its interior is not open. Because it sits in the middle of the plot, all you can see from the road on the east is part of the roof above the front gate. Looking straight through the front gate gives the best sense of where the great steel-clad roof sits. Do not go inside the gate.
No official guidance on photography could be found as of September 2026. If you photograph from the road, keep residents and daily life out of the frame.
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Q&A
- When was the Endo Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1751 to 1829) from its plan and structure. Daisen Town suggests the second half of the 18th century.
- What is special about the floor plan of the Endo Family Residence Main House?
- It uses a staggered four-room plan and has a formal shikidai entrance between the main living room and the guest room, a feature rarely found in farmhouses.
- What kind of roof does the Endo Family Residence Main House have?
- A hipped thatched roof. At the time of registration the thatch was covered with steel sheeting as a temporary measure.
- How large is the Endo Family Residence Main House?
- It is a single-storey timber building with a floor area of 264 m². The registration also includes an inner gate and a bent wall 9 m long.
- Can visitors go inside the Endo Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home that is not open to the public; from the road on the east only part of the roof is visible over the gate.
Basic Information
| Name | Endo Family Residence Main House (遠藤家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 486 Bōryō, Daisen Town, Saihaku District, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2003 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 264 m² (single-storey timber; with inner gate and bent wall of 9 m) |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (part of the roof visible from the road on the east) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 遠藤家住宅主屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003301
- Cultural Heritage Online: 遠藤家住宅主屋
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/140571
- Daisen Town: Endo Family Residence (main house and four other structures)
- https://www.daisen.jp/10/33/1/s148/u165/
- Daisen Town: Endo Family Residence (town-designated cultural properties)
- https://www.daisen.jp/10/33/1/w930/u165/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
