About the Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House
The Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House (坂口家住宅主屋, Sakaguchi-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a two-story wooden dwelling built in 1892 at the northwest corner of the Sakaguchi Family Residence in Odakamachi, Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture, and it was registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.
It measures 9.6 meters east to west and 16 meters north to south, with a building area of 129 square meters and a tiled roof. A single-story kitchen wing projects from the south end of the east side, and the entrance opens toward the north end. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records remodeling in the Taisho era and again in the early Showa era.
Because it stands where the north and west streets meet, the Main House is the most visible of the five registered Sakaguchi buildings.
Why the Sakaguchi Main House Was Registered
The Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House was registered together with the Detached House and Connecting Corridor, the Earthen Floor Storehouse, the Storehouse, and the Gate and Wall as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property that contributes to the historic landscape. Its registration number is 31-0142, and the registration date is April 28, 2009.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs put the roof at the center of its assessment: several roof forms are combined into an intricate whole that enriches the streetscape. Tottori Prefecture drew attention to the plan as well. The house looks like a Machiya from outside, yet instead of the earthen passage that normally runs through a town house, it has a tatami-matted corridor, a layout the prefecture describes as unusual for traditional machiya.
What to Look For at the Sakaguchi Main House
Layered roofs on a corner lot
The main ridge of the Sakaguchi Main House runs east to west and ends in a Kirizuma-zukuri gable at the west. From that west face a lower Ochimune roof in the Irimoya-zukuri style steps out, and a Geya pent roof wraps the north side. Standing on the corner, you see three roofs at three heights at once: the two-story main roof, the lower hip-and-gable, and the shallow eaves of the pent roof.
The best spot is close to where the north and west streets meet. From the west street the gable and the stepped-down hip-and-gable overlap, while from the north street the pent roof draws a low eave line along the front.
A town house without a through passage
Merchant houses in Japanese castle towns usually had an earth-floored passage running from the street to the back. The Sakaguchi Main House has none; its rooms are linked by a tatami corridor instead. On this property the shop occupies a separate building on the north street, and the Main House entrance does not open onto the street at all but onto the east side, toward its north end.
Refined interior finishes
Yonago City describes elegant, delicate carpentry throughout the reception rooms: Nageshi rails of cedar with the natural log surface left on the corners, carved Ranma transoms, a Tokonoma alcove finished in rubbed lacquer (suri-urushi), and a Tsukeshoin writing alcove. Timber with the bark surface partly kept is a hallmark of the relaxed sukiya taste. The interior is not open, so these details are known through the official descriptions.
Viewing the Sakaguchi Main House
The Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House is lived in, and its interior is not open to the public (checked October 2, 2026). The exterior can be seen from the north and west streets, and the junction of the two streets gives the clearest view of the stacked roofs. The entrance and the kitchen wing are both on the east side, facing the inside of the lot.
Visitors cannot enter the grounds, so please take any photographs from the road. Directions and visiting conditions for the whole property are on the Sakaguchi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1892, with remodeling in the Taisho and early Showa eras. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.
- Can I go inside the Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House?
- No. The interior is closed to the public, but the exterior can be seen from the north and west streets.
- What is special about the roof of the Sakaguchi Main House?
- A gabled main roof running east to west is combined with a lower hip-and-gable roof on the west face and a pent roof along the north side, creating an intricate silhouette on the street corner.
- How is the floor plan of the Sakaguchi Main House different from a typical machiya?
- Instead of an earth-floored passage running through the house, it has a tatami-matted corridor, which Tottori Prefecture notes is not found in traditional town houses.
- What interior features does the Sakaguchi Main House have?
- According to Yonago City, the rooms have cedar rails with natural log surfaces, carved transoms, a rubbed-lacquer tokonoma, and a built-in writing alcove.
Basic Information
| Name | Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 13 Odakamachi, Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture, and others |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2009 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-story wooden building, building area 129 square meters (9.6 meters east-west, 16 meters north-south) |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Interior closed (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007658
- Sakaguchi Family Residence Main House (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/192380
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties: Sakaguchi Family Residence (Yonago City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.yonago.lg.jp/36441.htm
- Sakaguchi Family Residence (Tottori Cultural Properties Navi, Tottori Prefecture, in Japanese)
- https://db.pref.tottori.jp/bunkazainavi.nsf/bunkazai_web_view/2E80ED6BA3408FCE4925796F0008007E
- New National Registration of Buildings in Tottori Prefecture (Tottori Prefectural Board of Education report, March 20, 2009, in Japanese)
- https://www.pref.tottori.lg.jp/secure/338687/houkokujikouko.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.02
