Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Toyama

Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House

Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House: Twelve Posts Over a Well

A pavilion-like well house of the late Meiji era in Toyama, 12 m², with three posts at each corner and capitals carved like bearing blocks; registered in 1998.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Toyama

About the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House

The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House (旧内山家住宅井戸上屋, Kyū-Uchiyama-ke Jūtaku Idouwaya) is a well shelter 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 Well House is a pavilion-like roof over the well north of the main house, between the rickshaw-shed wing and the niwa workshop. It is a single-storey wooden structure with a tiled roof, 12 m² in area.

An Unusual Design

The Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House was registered as a structure that would be hard to reproduce. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its uncommon design and form.

Four posts would have been enough to roof a well. Choosing something far more elaborate shows a family that wanted design even in the buildings of its working yard.

Twelve Posts and Carved Capitals

At each corner of the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House stand three posts, twelve in all, an extraordinary number for so small a structure.

The tops of the posts are carved into shapes like the large bearing blocks (daito) set on columns in temple architecture, and the ornament at the peak of the roof is also carefully worked, giving the shelter the light look of a garden pavilion.

Seeing the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House

At the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House, count the three posts at each corner and look closely at the carved capitals, then step back and look up at the roof ornament. Together with the rickshaw shed and niwa workshop around it, it helps you picture the working side of the household. 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.

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Q&A

QWhen was the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House built?: AThe Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the end of the Meiji era.

QWhat is the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House?: AA pavilion-like roof over a well: a single-storey wooden structure with a tiled roof, 12 m² in area.

QWhat is special about the posts of the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House?: AThere are three at each corner, twelve in all, and their tops are carved to look like large bearing blocks.

QWhy is the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?: AIt was registered in 1998 as hard to reproduce, for its unusual design and form.

QWhere is the Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House?: ANorth of the main house, between the rickshaw-shed wing and the niwa workshop.

Basic Information

Name	Former Uchiyama Family Residence Well House (旧内山家住宅井戸上屋)
Location	903 Miyao, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building)
Year Designated	1998 (registered)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Building area 12 m² (wooden, single storey)
Owner	Toyama Prefecture
Public Access	Exterior viewable within the grounds (admission charged, as Gōnō no Yakata Uchiyama-tei)