About the Mikamo Family Residence Main House
The Mikamo Family Residence Main House (美甘家住宅主屋, Mikamo-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a late-Edo farmhouse in Tokorogo, Daisen, Tottori Prefecture, extended in the early Meiji era and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 2009. It stands in the middle of the Mikamo estate facing east, and the other six registered buildings are arranged around it.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs database dates the house to the late Edo period, with the extension in early Meiji; Daisen Town describes it as built at the very end of Edo. No published record, such as a ridge tag, fixes a single construction year.
Size and Plan of the Mikamo Main House
The Mikamo main house has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of interlocking pantiles (Sangawara-buki) running north to south, with lean-to eaves (Geya) around it. It measures 19 m by 12 m, with a building area of 216 m². The registration lists it as single-storey, while the descriptive note calls it a Tsushi-nikai house, meaning the roof space forms a low upper floor; the town's walking map says the same. From outside, what you notice is the long, low eave line under a very large roof.
Inside, an earth-floored work area (Doma) takes the north end and the living rooms sit in two rows to the south, with the formal reception room and the Buddhist altar room (butsuma) in the front row. The walls are finished in white Shikkui plaster above vertical board wainscoting.
The line between the reception room and the altar room matters for the whole estate. The Middle Gate and Earthen Wall continues it outward, dividing the forecourt that visitors entered by the Front Gate from the private garden facing the reception room.
The Ridge Stones of the Main House
What the national database picks out as a regional trait of the Mikamo Family Residence Main House is the row of Kimachi stone (来待石) laid along the top of the tiled ridge. The same treatment appears on the New Storehouse and the Front Gate of the estate.
Daisen Town's walking map, however, describes the ridge stones of the main house as andesite, so the sources disagree on the type of stone. Both agree that stones crown the ridge.
The house was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country: a large white-walled, gable-roofed house at the center of the plot, framed by gates, walls and storehouses, forming part of the village scene of Tokorogo.
Viewing the Mikamo Family Residence Main House
The Mikamo Family Residence Main House is still lived in and the interior is not open. Because it stands in the middle of the plot behind the Front Gate and forecourt, only parts of the roof and eaves can be seen from the street. Do not go through the gate.
We found no official guidance on photography (checked October 2026). If you photograph the roof from the road, keep residents and their daily life out of the frame.
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Q&A
- When was the Mikamo Family Residence Main House built?
- The national database dates it to the late Edo period, with an extension in the early Meiji era. Daisen Town describes it as built at the very end of Edo.
- How large is the Mikamo Family Residence Main House?
- It measures 19 m by 12 m, with a building area of 216 m². It has a gabled pantile roof and a low tsushi-nikai upper floor.
- What are the stones on the ridge of the Mikamo Family Residence Main House?
- The national database identifies them as Kimachi stone and cites them as a regional trait. Daisen Town's walking map calls them andesite, so the sources differ.
- Can I go inside the Mikamo Family Residence Main House?
- No. It is a private home that is not open to the public, so you can only see parts of the roof and eaves from the street.
- How do you pronounce the name of the Mikamo Family Residence Main House?
- In Japanese it is Mikamo-ke Jūtaku Shuoku. The surname 美甘 is read Mikamo.
Basic Information
| Name | Mikamo Family Residence Main House (美甘家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 170 Maeda, Tokorogo, Daisen-cho, Saihaku-gun, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2009 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 19 m × 12 m; building area 216 m² |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (parts of the exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 美甘家住宅主屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007664
- Cultural Heritage Online: 美甘家住宅主屋
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/183876
- Daisen Town: Mikamo Family Residence (美甘家住宅)
- https://www.daisen.jp/10/33/1/s148/q166/
- Daisen Town: Tokorogo walking map (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.daisen.jp/user/filer_public/ba/c4/bac418d0-931e-4930-b696-b2f5b865b94f/denken-tiku-panfu.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
