A Thatched Farmhouse of 1792
The Okamoto Family Residence Main House (岡本家住宅主屋) is a thatched farmhouse of 1792 in Kuju, Koyaguchi-cho, Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 6, 2024 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber house with a thatched roof, now temporarily sheathed in sheet iron, and a building area of 135 square metres, renovated in 2022; registration number 30-0350.
A Large Thatched Farmhouse
The Okamoto Family Residence Main House stands in a farming village on the southern slope of Mount Iwawaki (岩湧山), the peak on the border with Osaka Prefecture (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Wakayama Prefecture). The prefecture notes that the Okamoto family once served as shoya, the hereditary headmen of their village. The house sits toward the north of the plot, facing east, under a hip-and-gable thatched roof that is now temporarily sheathed in sheet iron, with a lower lean-to roof wrapping round its south and west sides.
Inside, the east end is a beaten-earth floor and the raised floor is divided into six rooms (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The southwest room is the formal reception room; according to Wakayama Prefecture it is an eight-mat room with no tokonoma alcove, only a built-in writing desk, the tsuke-shoin.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the house for its contribution to the historic landscape, noting that this large house, with its heavy structural timbers, shapes the character of the district. Built in 1792, it is the oldest of the four registered Okamoto buildings.
What to Look For
The sheer thickness of the posts and beams is the first thing to notice about the Okamoto house (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The tall hip-and-gable roof set against the low eaves of the lean-to on the south and west gives the exterior its shape.
The reception room has a tsuke-shoin but no alcove (Wakayama Prefecture), a plainness the Agency also remarks on. It shows the restrained formal room of a late Edo-period farming household.
Visiting
The Okamoto Family Residence Main House is still a private home, and no official information on interior access or visits was found. Please do not enter the property. The Agency's database and Cultural Heritage Online carry a photograph of the house from the front and side.
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Q&A
- When was the Okamoto Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1792, with a renovation in 2022 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the Okamoto Family Residence?
- At 548 Kuju, Koyaguchi-cho, Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture, in a village on the southern slope of Mount Iwawaki.
- Does the Okamoto Family Residence Main House have a thatched roof?
- Yes. It is a hip-and-gable thatched roof, now temporarily sheathed in sheet iron (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I visit the Okamoto Family Residence Main House?
- It is a private home, and no official information on visits was found.
- When was the Okamoto Family Residence Main House registered?
- On March 6, 2024 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Okamoto Family Residence Main House (岡本家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 548 Kuju, Koyaguchi-cho, Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/03/06 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, thatched roof (temporary sheet-iron cover), 135 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Private residence (no public access information) |
References
- Okamoto Family Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014915
- Okamoto Family Residence Main House (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/564795
- Okamoto Family Residence (Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education, Japanese)
- https://wakayama-bunkazai.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-spot-1032/
Last verified: 2026.10.15
