About the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa (Workshop)
The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa (旧内山家住宅にわ（作業場）, Kyū-Uchiyama-ke Jūtaku Niwa) is a wooden workshop building, mostly single-storey with a partial upper floor, built at the end of the Meiji era at 903 Miyao, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1998.
The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa stands to the north and slightly east of the main house. It has a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof in Sangawara-buki pantiles, runs east to west, and is entered on the long side. Its building area is 92 m². Niwa here does not mean a garden: in a farmhouse it is the working space.
Where the Servants Worked
The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as a guide to how wealthy farmers in the region lived.
The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa was the servants' workplace. On an estate where the reception rooms and tea rooms draw the eye, it matters that the place of the people who did the farm and household work survives too.
Snow-Screen Store and Stepped Side Rooms
At the back of the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa is a store for the materials of yukigakoi, the screens put up each winter to protect buildings and garden trees from snow. Keeping them here out of season is typical of a large Hokuriku farmhouse.
At the east and west ends are small rooms under a ridge set one step lower. The working space in the middle, flanked by lower-roofed rooms, shows from outside as a stepped roofline.
Seeing the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa
Look at the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa from outside to find the step in the roof that marks the side rooms. Seen together with the well house and the rickshaw-shed wing, it shows how large the working area north of the main house once was.
Whether the interior is open could not be confirmed from official sources, so ask at the reception. Opening days and admission are on the Former Uchiyama Family Residence (Toyama) page. No official guidance on photography could be found as of September 2026, so ask at the reception.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Toyama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa (Workshop)
- [ Kurobe Gorge Train & Tateyama Alpine Route ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the end of the Meiji era.
- What was the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa used for?
- It was the servants' workplace, with a store at the back for snow-screen materials.
- Does niwa in the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa mean garden?
- No. Here niwa means the working space of a farmhouse, not a garden.
- Why is the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 1998 for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a guide to the life of a wealthy farming household.
- How big is the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa?
- It is a wooden, tile-roofed building, mostly single-storey with a partial upper floor, and 92 m² in area.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Uchiyama Family Residence Niwa (Workshop) (旧内山家住宅にわ（作業場）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 903 Miyao, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 1998 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 92 m² (wooden, single storey with part 2 storeys) |
| Owner | Toyama Prefecture |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable within the grounds (admission charged, as Gōnō no Yakata Uchiyama-tei) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 旧内山家住宅にわ（作業場）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000571
- Cultural Heritage Online: 旧内山家住宅にわ（作業場）
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/137841
Last verified: 2026.09.30
