The Kitchen Wing Built Apart
The Misaki Family Residence Kitchen Building (御前家住宅台所棟) is the kitchen wing of a house of 1935 to 1938 in Chayanocho, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 12, 1997 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 89 square metres; registration number 30-0003.
A Kitchen Built Apart from the Main House
The Misaki Family Residence Kitchen Building was built at the same time as the main house, between 1935 and 1938, and holds the dining room, the cooking area and other service rooms (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
It is a plain single-storey building with a hipped roof, in deliberate contrast to the grand, sukiya-flavoured main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency sees it as a fine example of an early Showa residence that keeps the samurai-house tradition of the Edo period, in which the rooms for receiving guests and the kitchen stood in separate buildings; it was registered as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look at the plain single storey under its hipped roof and compare it with the layered roofs of the main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The split between a building for daily life and one for receiving guests can be read in the layout of the estate.
Visiting
It appears to be a private home, and no official information on visits was found. Please do not enter the property; any viewing should be quiet and from outside.
Q&A
- When was the kitchen building built?
- Between 1935 and 1938, together with the main house (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What rooms does it contain?
- The dining room, the cooking area and other service rooms.
- Why is the kitchen a separate building?
- It follows the Edo-period samurai-house tradition of keeping guest rooms and kitchen apart.
- Can I visit the kitchen building?
- No official information on visits was found.
- When was the Misaki Family Residence Kitchen Building registered?
- On June 12, 1997 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Misaki Family Residence Kitchen Building (御前家住宅台所棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Chayanocho, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1997/06/12 (Heisei 9) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 89 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Misaki Family Residence Kitchen Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000224
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Wakayama City (Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/500700/mokuroku/d00155458.html
Last verified: 2026.10.19
