What is the Yoshida Family Residence Main House?
The Yoshida Family Residence Main House (吉田家住宅主屋, Yoshida-ke Jūtaku Omoya) is a large house built in 1872 in Futakuchi, Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on August 7, 2023.
It is a wooden building of 2 storeys under a gabled roof of interlocking pan tiles (Sangawara-buki), entered on the gable end (Tsumairi). With a building area of 272 square meters it dwarfs the other three registered structures on the estate. The main facade faces west.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the Yoshida Family Residence Main House the large main dwelling of an old family whose home looks onto the pilgrimage road to Futakuchi Kumano Shingū shrine.
Why the Yoshida Family Residence Main House was registered
The Yoshida Family Residence Main House was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. In the agency's words, it carries the dignity of an old family house and anchors the historic scenery of the area.
Two things carry that judgment: the great gable wall that faces the road, and the formal interior of the hall and living room behind it. One shapes the streetscape; the other shows the standing of the family that built it.
A gable of posts and tie beams: the azumadachi look
Stand in front of the Yoshida Family Residence Main House and the first thing you notice is the gable end, very broad and very tall. The triangular face of the roof is turned to the street, and across it short vertical posts and horizontal tie beams (Nuki) are stacked tier on tier. The agency identifies this as a feature of azumadachi.
Azumadachi is a way of dressing the front of a house: the gable is made the face of the building, and its structural grid is left visible on the wall as a sign of status. The style is closely associated with the old family houses of Toyama Prefecture.
On the Yoshida gable, the bold grid of posts and beams is paired with delicate latticework. Look for the contrast between the large squares of the frame and the fine mesh of the lattice; the two scales on one wall are what make this facade worth studying.
Lacquered timbers and an open roof frame inside the Yoshida Family Residence Main House
Inside the Yoshida Family Residence Main House, the posts and beams of the hall (hiroma) and the living room (cha-no-ma) are finished in lacquer. Neither room has a ceiling; both rise open to the roof (Fukinuke) and expose a heavy framework of beams.
The agency's photo set includes the open roof frame (Roof frame) above the cha-no-ma. From the floor you look up past glossy dark posts into a lattice of thick beams crossing overhead.
Visiting the Yoshida Family Residence Main House
The lacquered frame and the open beams can only be seen from inside the Yoshida Family Residence Main House. A 2023 record from Imizu City said public opening was planned, but we could not confirm current opening days, fees, or whether photography is allowed indoors, so ask ahead.
From outside, the view is from the street on the west. Because the wooden fence encloses the west and south sides of the house, you will probably be looking up at the upper gable over the fence. On days when the house is not open, stay on the street. Directions to the estate are on the Yoshida Family Residence page.
Q&A
- Can I visit the Yoshida Family Residence Main House?
- Minutes of the Imizu City Cultural Properties Council from March 2023 state that the association managing the house, Yoshida-han, planned to open it to the public from June 2023. Current opening days, hours and fees could not be confirmed, so contact the city or the association before visiting. Otherwise, view it from the street only.
- When was the Yoshida Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1872. The stone storehouse and the wooden fence on the same estate are of about the same date.
- What makes the Yoshida Family Residence Main House an azumadachi-style house?
- Its broad gable faces the street and displays a grid of short vertical posts and horizontal tie beams on the wall. On this house the gable also carries fine latticework.
- How large is the Yoshida Family Residence Main House?
- It is a wooden building of 2 storeys with a gabled, tiled roof, entered on the gable end, and covers 272 square meters. The hall and living room inside have lacquered posts and beams and are open to the roof.
- Why is the Yoshida Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on August 7, 2023, as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. The agency credits it with the dignity of an old family house and calls it the core of the local historic scenery.
Basic Information
| Name | Yoshida Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 1953 Umawatari, Futakuchi, Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 7, 2023 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 272 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (managed by the general incorporated association Yoshida-han, per a 2023 Imizu City record) |
| Public Access | Public opening planned (Imizu City record, 2023); current opening days and fees unconfirmed |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 吉田家住宅主屋 (Yoshida Family Residence Main House)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014594
- Cultural Heritage Online: 吉田家住宅主屋 (Yoshida Family Residence Main House)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/590366
- Imizu City, Minutes of the Imizu City Cultural Properties Council, March 28, 2023 (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.imizu.toyama.jp/appupload/EDIT/118/118156.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.27
