Kanasaku Family Residence

The Kanasaku Family Residence

The Kanasaku Family Residence (金作家住宅, Kanasaku-ke Jūtaku) in Uchimen, Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, is a townhouse with two storehouses from the Meiji and Taisho periods: the main house of 1893, the East Storehouse of 1895 and the West Storehouse of the Taisho period (1912 to 1926), all three registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (structures) on August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The three buildings were announced together in the 84th round of registrations and carry consecutive registration numbers, 16-0117 to 16-0119 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Takaoka City lists all three as privately owned, giving their location only as Uchimen.

The Agency describes the main house as a townhouse that keeps the look of Meiji-era Takaoka alive. What makes the Kanasaku Family Residence worth knowing is the whole sequence: a Machiya facing the street, then a garden, then two storehouses set one behind the other.

Three Buildings, Front to Back

The main house of the Kanasaku Family Residence is a two-storey timber townhouse on a long, narrow plot just 4 ken (bays) wide. Its entrance opens at the north end of the front, and an earth-floored passage runs straight back from it (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A lean-to eave roofed in thick boards shelters the facade.

The East Storehouse stands behind the main house across a garden. Its doorway opens on the east side, facing the house, under a small lean-to roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The West Storehouse is built directly against the back of the East Storehouse. Its detached protective roof was simply carried on over its neighbour, so the two storehouses sit beneath what reads as a single sheltering roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The grounds for registration differ by building: the main house for its contribution to the historic landscape, both storehouses as models of design (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Each building has its own page with the construction details.

Visiting

The Kanasaku Family Residence is a private home, and no official information on interior access or visits was found as of October 2026. The two storehouses stand behind the main house, beyond the garden (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

If you look at the exterior, please do so from the public road and do not enter the property.