The Working Building by the Gate
The Former Hotta Kojoen Row House (旧堀田古城園長屋, Kyū-Hotta Kojōen Nagaya) is a single-storey timber service building completed in 1933 in Ote, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.
Nagaya means long house, and the name fits. The building runs along the north side of the former restaurant grounds, just east of the kido gate, under a hipped roof of pantiles, with a building area of 57 square metres.
It was used for storage and similar purposes and was divided into several rooms. The national database records a 2017 renovation, after which the interior was reorganised into 2 rooms.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Hotta Kojoen Row House was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, together with the kido gate, it forms the north edge of the grounds.
That edge was the restaurant's public face. A gate alone would have given the street a fence and an opening; the low tiled row house beside it adds depth, and a sense that there is something substantial behind the frontage.
Adapting the building for new uses meant removing part of the east wall and the internal partitions. Most of the principal timbers are nevertheless original, and the exposed-frame Shinkabe exterior was carried through the work. It is a useful example of a building that changed its job without losing its looks.
What to Look For
Unlike the main house and the annexes, the Former Hotta Kojoen Row House was never meant for guests. It is a back-of-house building, and the plain combination of a tiled hipped roof and framed walls shows everyday early Showa construction without dressing.
From the street, the gabled roof of the gate and the hipped roof of the row house sit side by side, and the change in roof form gives the frontage its variety. Follow the wall east from the gate and watch posts and plaster panels alternate along its length.
Inside, the two rooms left by the renovation appear in national database photographs as café seating, and the posts and beams around you are still largely the 1933 timbers.
Visiting the Row House
The exterior of the Former Hotta Kojoen Row House can be seen from the street and from inside the grounds. According to Kofu City, visitors can eat and drink inside; hours can change, so check at the museum on the day.
To look around the interior without eating, request an entry permit at the information desk as for the other buildings. Visits are limited to 1 hour.
Directions, opening days and fees for the whole site are on the Former Hotta Kojoen page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamanashi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Hotta Kojoen Row House
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Q&A
- When was the Former Hotta Kojoen Row House built and registered?
- It was built in 1933, renovated in 2017 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.
- What was the Former Hotta Kojoen Row House originally used for?
- It served as storage and similar back-of-house space and was divided into several rooms. Today it has 2 rooms.
- Can I go inside the Former Hotta Kojoen Row House?
- Kofu City says food and drink are served there. To view the interior for its own sake, get an entry permit from the information desk; visits last up to 1 hour.
- How large is the Former Hotta Kojoen Row House and how is it built?
- It is a single-storey timber building with a hipped pantile roof, exposed-frame walls and a building area of 57 square metres.
- Where is the Former Hotta Kojoen Row House on the grounds?
- On the north side of the lot facing the street, immediately east of the kido gate. Together with the gate it forms the front of Former Hotta Kojoen.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hotta Kojoen Row House |
|---|---|
| Location | 3735-1 Ote 3-chome, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/2/4 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 57 square metres |
| Owner | Kofu City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable; interior open for dining or by permit from the information desk (up to 1 hour) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hotta Kojoen Row House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013541
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Hotta Kojoen Row House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/539688
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hotta Kojoen Kido Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013542
- Kofu City: Takeda Clan Residence Site History Museum (Shingen Museum)
- https://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/rekishi_bunkazai/kofu-takedashirekishikan.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
