A Merchant's Villa of Driftwood Cedar at Kushimoto
The Former Kanda Family Villa (Tosontei) (旧神田家別邸（稲村亭）) is the villa of a merchant family of 1874 in Kushimoto, Kushimoto Town, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 5, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof, covering 223 square metres; registration number 30-0279.
The Villa of a Leading Kushimoto Merchant
The former Kanda family villa (Tosontei) was the villa of a leading merchant house of Kushimoto at the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula, and faces south at the centre of its plot (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
A great pantile roof covers a farmhouse-type plan with an earth floor to the east and raised rooms to the west. The joinery uses close straight-grained cedar said to come from a huge tree washed up on the nearby shore (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design, a merchant's villa of refined, high-quality workmanship.
What to Look For
Look for the close straight-grained cedar said to come from a tree washed ashore (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
No official information on access to the interior was found. The building can be seen from the road.
Q&A
- When was the villa built?
- In 1874 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is Tosontei read?
- To-so-n-te-i, according to the Agency's reading.
- What timber was used?
- Straight-grained cedar said to come from a tree washed ashore.
- What is its plan?
- A farmhouse type: earth floor east, raised rooms west.
- When was the Former Kanda Family Villa (Tosontei) registered?
- On December 5, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kanda Family Villa (Tosontei) (旧神田家別邸（稲村亭）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 879-1 Kushimoto, Kushimoto Town, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019/12/05 (Reiwa 1) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 223 m² |
| Owner | Ichiju no Kage Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Former Kanda Family Villa (Tosontei) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013176
Last verified: 2026.10.18