The Guest Wing at the Back of the Compound
The Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor (旧戸田家住宅大座敷棟, Kyū Toda-ke Jūtaku Ōzashiki-tō) in Hiro, Hirogawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture, is a 1-story timber reception wing that the Toda family of net makers built for receiving guests in the early Shōwa period, between 1926 and 1945, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2016.
It occupies the far northeast corner of the plot, with its west side against the net factory, and covers 95 square meters. Where the main house and the net factory face the street, the Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor turns its south and east sides to the garden.
Why the Large Parlor Was Registered
The Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor was registered as a model of its building type. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a guest parlor finished to a high standard in fine Japanese cypress (hinoki), and the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education places it within the compound as the building for entertaining visitors.
Inside are two 10-mat Zashiki reception rooms and a 4-mat room, with a veranda running along the garden side. Two 10-mat rooms in a row make a generous space for hosting, the kind of room an amimoto family would need for receiving guests and gathering people. Placing it at the back, well away from the family's main house, suits a wing meant for visitors.
What to Look For
The roof is in the Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable style, covered with pantiles, and Hisashi eaves wrap three sides, all except the west wall that meets the net factory. On the south and east, facing the garden, the eaves switch to copper sheeting right at their edges. Trading heavy tile for thin copper at the edge makes the eave line look slim and light from the garden, which is the effect the Agency for Cultural Affairs points to.
The retirement building, from the same early Shōwa years, also has copper-sheeted eaves on three sides. Seen together with the Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor, it suggests the Toda household of that period cared a great deal about how light its eaves looked.
Visiting the Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor
According to the prefectural board of education (as of July 2026), the Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor has been converted, along with the storehouses and others, into guest rooms of Isari, so only overnight guests can go inside. The room the official website describes as a spacious zashiki looking across a corridor to the garden (Room 101, 83.22 square meters, for up to six guests, with a goemon-buro iron bath) appears to be this building.
Because it does not face the street and sits deep inside the compound, the building is probably difficult to see from the road. Room bookings close one week ahead; check-in is at 3:00 p.m. (last check-in 6:00 p.m.) and check-out at 10:00 a.m. Directions to the compound are on the Former Toda Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- What is the Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor?
- The Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor is a 1-story timber reception wing built by the Toda family in the early Shōwa period, between 1926 and 1945, for entertaining guests. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 29, 2016.
- What rooms does the Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor contain?
- Two 10-mat reception rooms and one 4-mat room, with a veranda along the garden side. It is finished in fine Japanese cypress.
- What is special about the roof of the Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor?
- It is a hip-and-gable roof with pantiles, with eaves on three sides. On the garden sides, south and east, the eave edges are copper-sheeted, which makes them look slim and light.
- Can visitors see the Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor?
- Only overnight guests can enter. Since it does not face the street, it is probably also hard to see from the road.
- Can I stay in the large parlor of the Toda residence in Hirogawa?
- The prefecture reports that it is used as a guest room, and Room 101 on the official website (83.22 square meters, up to six guests) appears to be this building. Book at least one week ahead; check-in is at 3:00 p.m. and check-out at 10:00 a.m.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor |
|---|---|
| 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: 95 m² |
| Owner | Hirogawa Town |
| Public Access | Interior for overnight guests only (reservation required); does not face the street and is hard to see from outside |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011390
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Toda Family Residence Large Parlor
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/221317
- 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/
Last verified: 2026.10.07
