Former Kanaoka Family Residence Shinya

About the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Shinya

The Former Kanaoka Family Residence Shinya (旧金岡家住宅新屋, Kyū-Kanaoka-ke Jūtaku Shinya, "the new house") is a single-storey guest wing built in the Taishō era (1912 to 1925) at 1-5-24 Shinjocho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1998.

The Shinya adjoins the northwest side of the main house. It is wooden, with a tiled roof and a building area of 246 m², and was added by the Kanaoka family, grown rich as drug wholesalers, as a place to receive guests.

A Long Gable-Entry Wing with Its Own Front Door

The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Shinya as a building that would be hard to reproduce, and starts with its exterior. It has a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof and is entered from the gable end (Tsumairi), running deep into the plot, with a formal entrance porch set on that gable front.

The main house does the opposite, presenting its long side to the street. The Shinya gave guests a front of their own, apart from the shop.

Its design is attributed to Nishihara Heiji of Shimizu-gumi, a major building contractor. That a company designer rather than a local master carpenter is named says something about the ambitions of a Toyama business family in the 1910s and 1920s.

Hinoki Rooms and a Raised Coffered Ceiling

Inside the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Shinya, the Agency notes fine hinoki cypress and zelkova, a range of prized timbers, and inventive treatment of walls and sliding doors. The museum calls the Shinya an all-hinoki building and highlights a reception room with a raised coffered ceiling.

Look up first. In an oriage coffered ceiling the central field of the grid is lifted above the edges, giving the room extra height and dignity. Then look along the sliding doors and walls, where the finishes change from room to room.

According to the museum, the rooms look out on a garden where Emperor Meiji is said to have rested, and they are used today for tea gatherings and other cultural events.

Visiting the Former Kanaoka Family Residence Shinya

The Former Kanaoka Family Residence Shinya is part of the Kanaoka-tei museum tour; Toyama Kanko Navi puts a guided round of the house at 30 to 40 minutes. Because the rooms are also hired out for events, arrangements may differ on event days, so it is worth phoning ahead.

Ask at the reception whether photography is allowed in the Shinya. Opening days, admission and directions are on the Former Kanaoka Family Residence page.