Misaki Family Residence Main House

A Sukiya-Inflected House of the Early Showa Era

The Misaki Family Residence Main House (御前家住宅主屋) is a single-storey timber 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 house with a tiled roof and a building area of 185 square metres; registration number 30-0002.

A Single Storey with a Sukiya Touch

The Misaki Family Residence Main House is the central timber house of an estate in the city centre close to Wakayama Castle (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was built between 1935 and 1938, together with the kitchen building and the storehouse.

Although it has only a single storey, a lean-to roof running round the building gives the exterior a double tier of roofs (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Log timbers are used in the interior, showing the influence of the sukiya style, and the house also has a Western-style reception room for guests.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes that the double tier of roofs, the sukiya influence in the log-built interior and the Western-style reception room show the features of large early Showa residences well; it was registered as a model of design.

What to Look For

From outside, look for the lean-to roof wrapped round the single storey so that the roofs appear in two tiers (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Set beside the plain kitchen building of the same estate, the main house stands out as the grander space for receiving guests.

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.