About the Sasano Family Residence Detached Room
The Sasano Family Residence Detached Room (笹野家住宅離座敷, Sasano-ke Jūtaku Hanarezashiki) is a 1-story wooden reception wing built in the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882) and moved to the Shinmachi district of Sono, Gobo City, Wakayama Prefecture, in the early Shōwa period; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2018.
It stands southwest of the main house and is linked to it by a corridor. The ridge runs north to south under a hip-and-gable roof (Irimoya-zukuri) laid with hongawara tiles, and the building area is 80 square meters. It is the oldest of the four registered Sasano buildings.
Where it came from is set out by the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education. The Sasano family once brewed sake in Inahara, in the neighboring town of Inami, and is said to have moved here in the Taishō era. When the estate was laid out, the main house and storehouse were built new, but this wing was brought over from Inami.
Why the Sasano Family Residence Detached Room was registered
The Sasano Family Residence Detached Room was registered as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to its neat, restrained detailing, with posts and Nageshi rails of tsuga (Japanese hemlock), and calls it a fine example of early Meiji Japanese architecture. The prefectural board likewise notes the good timber and the calm design.
Moving a building is hard work. It has to be taken apart, each piece numbered, carried, and put back together. The family built a new main house for the estate, yet chose to bring this wing from the old property rather than replace it, which suggests how much it meant to them.
What to look for in the Sasano Detached Room
The Sasano Family Residence Detached Room holds two zashiki rooms in a row. The upper one, of 10 tatami mats, has a Tokonoma alcove, a Tokowaki shelf recess and a Tsukeshoin built-in desk. Together these form the Zashiki-kazari, the standard set of fittings that marks a room for receiving guests.
The timber matters too. Tsuga is a conifer with fine, straight grain and has long been chosen for the posts and rails of tatami rooms. What the agency calls neat detailing likely comes down to that wood and to how cleanly the alcove fittings are put together.
It is worth setting this wing beside the main house. In the early Shōwa main house, an upstairs tokowaki bends around a corner, a layout the prefecture calls unconventional. The older wing is described as a room with its alcove, shelves and desk set out in the standard way. A single corridor joins the two.
Visiting the Sasano Family Residence Detached Room
The Sasano Family Residence Detached Room is part of a private home and is not open. It stands at the back of the plot, southwest of the main house, so expect to see almost nothing of it from the street.
Please do not go through the gate, and keep photographs to the exterior from the road. The layout of the estate and directions are on the Sasano Family Residence (Gobo) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Sasano Family Residence Detached Room built?
- It was built in the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882) and moved to its present site in the early Shōwa period. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 10, 2018.
- Where did the Sasano Family Residence Detached Room come from?
- According to the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education, it was moved from the family's former property in Inahara, Inami, where the Sasano family once brewed sake.
- What is special about the rooms in the Sasano Family Residence Detached Room?
- It has two zashiki rooms in a row. The upper 10-mat room has a tokonoma, tokowaki and tsukeshoin, and the posts and nageshi rails are tsuga wood.
- How large is the Sasano Family Residence Detached Room?
- It is a 1-story wooden building with a north-south hip-and-gable roof of hongawara tiles and a building area of 80 square meters, linked by a corridor to the southwest side of the main house.
- Can I visit the Sasano Family Residence Detached Room?
- No. It is part of a private home and is closed, and it stands at the back of the plot where it cannot really be seen from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Sasano Family Residence Detached Room (笹野家住宅離座敷) |
|---|---|
| Location | 731 Shinmachi, Sono, Gobo City, Wakayama Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018-05-10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 80 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Sasano Family Residence Detached Room
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012444
- Cultural Heritage Online: Sasano Family Residence Detached Room
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/566548
- Wakayama Cultural Heritage portal (Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education): Sasano Family Residence
- https://wakayama-bunkazai.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-spot-995/
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Sasano Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012443
Last verified: 2026.10.06
