About the Sasaki Family Residence Main House
The Sasaki Family Residence Main House (佐々木家住宅主屋, Sasaki-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a late Edo-period farmhouse, dated by the national database to between 1751 and 1830, in Funaba, Hino Town, Tottori Prefecture, and was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 27, 2017. It has a building area of 167 square meters and was altered in the mid-Meiji and early Showa periods.
The house stands at the back of the Sasaki estate facing south, under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki tiles. The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists it as single-story in its data field but describes it as Tsushi-nikai in its commentary: a low half-story tucked under the roof, used for storage, which keeps the house close to single-story height from outside.
An Earth Floor and a Staggered Four-Room Plan
The plan of the Sasaki Main House divides cleanly in two. The east half is a broad Doma, the beaten-earth floor where a farming household cooked and worked. The west half is raised and floored, with four rooms in the Yomadori four-room layout common to farmhouses of the period.
Here the four rooms are staggered rather than set in a neat square grid. The partition between the front and back rooms does not run straight across, so the rooms differ in size and line up unevenly. Tottori Prefecture's cultural properties database includes a photograph of this staggered interior.
An open veranda wraps the floored rooms in an L, running along the south front and turning to follow the side of the omote, the best room kept for guests. Light reaches the rooms from the front garden and from the side.
What Marks It as Late Edo
The agency values the Sasaki Family Residence Main House as an early modern farmhouse that keeps its old form well, and points to two things: the design of the Tokonoma alcove, and the depth of the Sashigamoi. A sashigamoi is a tall lintel beam slotted between posts; it carries sliding doors and at the same time stiffens the frame like a beam. The agency reads its height in section as a late Edo feature.
Hino Town's tourism guide adds another period detail: the main pillar, the daikokubashira, stands with its center shifted slightly toward the earth floor.
Local guides give 1829 as the year of construction. The national database gives only "late Edo" with a range of 1751 to 1830, while noting that the grain storehouse of 1829 on the same estate is contemporary with the house. This article follows the agency.
Seeing the Sasaki Main House
The Sasaki Main House is set back behind two storehouses, and no source could be found describing how much of its front is visible from outside the grounds.
The Sasaki Family Residence is used as a guesthouse taken by advance reservation, according to local tourism guides. No public viewing days or interior opening hours could be found as of September 2026, so a reserved stay is the only confirmed way to see the earth floor and the staggered rooms. No official guidance on photography could be found.
Inside, stand on the earth floor and look up at the floored rooms to judge the height of the sashigamoi and the position of the main pillar. Out on the veranda, the corner where it turns from the front to the side is easy to find.
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Q&A
- When was the Sasaki Family Residence Main House built?
- In the late Edo period, between 1751 and 1830 according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Some local guides give 1829. It was altered in the mid-Meiji and early Showa periods.
- What is special about the floor plan of the Sasaki Main House?
- The east half is a broad earth floor and the west half has four floored rooms in a staggered arrangement, with an L-shaped veranda running from the front to the side.
- Why is the Sasaki Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- Its alcove design and deep sashigamoi beams show late Edo features, and it keeps the old form of an early modern farmhouse. It was registered in 2017 for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I go inside the Sasaki Main House?
- No public opening could be found as of September 2026. The Sasaki Family Residence is used as a reservation-only guesthouse, which is the only confirmed way inside.
- How do I get to the Sasaki Family Residence Main House?
- Walk about five minutes from Neu Station on the JR Hakubi Line, crossing the Hino River into Funaba.
Basic Information
| Name | Sasaki Family Residence Main House (佐々木家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 357 Funaba, Hino-cho, Hino-gun, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2017 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 167 m² (wooden, with a low tsushi-nikai half-story) |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (reservation-only guesthouse use) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Sasaki Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012021
- Cultural Heritage Online: Sasaki Family Residence Main House
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/275282
- Tottori Cultural Properties Navi (Tottori Prefecture): Sasaki Family Residence Main House, New Reception Wing, Grain Storehouse, New Storehouse
- https://db.pref.tottori.jp/bunkazainavi.nsf/bunkazai_web_view/03D46270F5E7509C4925814E00004C06?OpenDocument=
- Houki Tatara Navi (Houki Tatara Society / Hino Town): Old Houses in Hino Town
- https://www.tatara-navi.com/%E5%A5%A5%E6%97%A5%E9%87%8E%E3%81%AE%E6%97%85/%E3%83%86%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E-%E5%8F%A4%E6%B0%91%E5%AE%B6-%E6%97%A5%E9%87%8E%E7%94%BA%E7%B7%A8/
- Hinonohi, Hino District Tourism Portal: Stay
- https://www.hinonohi.com/stay/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
