A Townhouse Built for a Net-Making Family
The Former Toda Family Residence Main House (旧戸田家住宅主屋, Kyū Toda-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) in Hiro, Hirogawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture, is a 2-story timber townhouse built in the late Taishō period, between 1919 and 1926, for the Toda family of net makers, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2016.
It faces west onto the street, with a tiled roof over a building area of 125 square meters. The Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education describes it as a tall 2-story Machiya with an imposing front suited to an amimoto household, a family that owned the nets and organized the fishermen. The net factory stands to its north and the West Storehouse to its south, so the main house sits at the very center of the compound's street front.
Why the Main House Was Registered
The Former Toda Family Residence Main House was registered for its contribution to the historic townscape. It is the public face of the compound on one of Hiro's old streets, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs opens its description by calling it the main house of a family that had made fishing nets since the early modern period.
Inside, an earth-floored Doma runs along the south side, with four raised, matted rooms lined up to its north. At the back of the doma the kitchen projects out from the rear wall. Setting the doma beside the living rooms is the standard townhouse arrangement; the projecting kitchen is this building's own addition to it.
Upstairs, part of the space above the doma is left open as a Fukinuke, a void rising through both floors. Only the 8-mat room in the northwest corner has a coved batten ceiling, raised higher than the rest, which suggests it was the best room on the upper floor.
What to Look For
From the street, look up at the projecting lattice window on the second floor of the Former Toda Family Residence Main House. Below it, the wall has been built out in Shikkui lime plaster to carry the projection. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out this detail as a mark of care in the design, and it gives a flat townhouse front real depth and shadow.
Then compare it with the net factory next door. The Toda family turned a plastered, latticed domestic face toward the street here, and a plain, window-lined working face a few steps away. Home and workshop share the same frontage, which is exactly how a net-making business was run.
Visiting the Former Toda Family Residence Main House
The Former Toda Family Residence Main House fronts the street, and as of July 2026 the prefectural board of education confirms that its exterior can be viewed from the road. The front of the ground floor, once the family's entrance and shop front, is now a community space. According to the official website, the operator holds hands-on events there and also rents the room to local residents and groups.
Under the rental rules the space is available between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. for 1,000 yen per hour, tax included, by advance booking through an application form or the online system. It is run as an unstaffed rental room, and the permitted uses include photography as well as meetings and study sessions. No public opening of the rest of the house, including the upper floor, is announced.
Directions to the compound and booking conditions for the restaurant and rooms are given on the Former Toda Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Toda Family Residence Main House built and registered?
- The Former Toda Family Residence Main House dates from the late Taishō period, between 1919 and 1926. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 29, 2016, together with the other five buildings of the compound.
- Can I go inside the Former Toda Family Residence Main House?
- The front of the ground floor is a community space that can be rented by advance booking, between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., for 1,000 yen per hour including tax. It is also open during events run by the operator. No other part of the house is announced as open to the public.
- What is the most notable feature of the Former Toda Family Residence Main House exterior?
- The projecting lattice window on the second floor. The wall beneath it is built out in lime plaster to support the projection, a detail the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out as carefully designed.
- What is the layout of the Toda main house in Hirogawa?
- An earth-floored doma runs along the south side with four raised rooms to the north, and the kitchen projects from the back of the doma. Upstairs, part of the area over the doma is open to the roof, and the 8-mat room in the northwest corner has a raised, coved ceiling.
- Can I take photos of the Former Toda Family Residence Main House?
- The exterior can be viewed from the road, so photograph it from the street without blocking traffic. For the community space, the rental rules list photography among the permitted uses.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Toda Family Residence Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 1347 Hiro, Hirogawa-cho, Arida-gun, Wakayama Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on November 29, 2016 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area: 125 m² |
| Owner | Hirogawa Town |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the road; ground-floor community space available for hire by advance booking |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Toda Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011389
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Toda Family Residence Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/284456
- Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education: Case 2, Former Toda Family Residence (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/500700/d00219867_d/fil/02.pdf
- Hotel Isari and Restaurant/Cafe Shioka official website (Japanese)
- https://shioka-isari.com/
- Isari community space rental rules and application form (PDF, Japanese)
- https://shioka-isari.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260401_%E5%9C%B0%E5%9F%9F%E4%BA%A4%E6%B5%81%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9A%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E8%A6%8F%E7%B4%84%E3%83%BB%E7%94%B3%E8%BE%BC%E6%9B%B8.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.07
