Kyoto Prefecture’s Amazing Traditional Japanese ResidencesThree wonderful old homes
Kyoto Prefecture has a great number of superb traditional Japanese residences that have been carefully cared for and maintained for generations. Some have undergone restoration work over the past hundred years. However, all of these unique homes stand as excellent examples of Japan’s unique earthen-wall, tile-roof, wooden-structure architecture. Naturally, special garden landscapes are often a big part of the attraction and cultural importance of these houses
The Suda Family Residence
This house, registered as a Kyoto Cultural Heritage Site, stands in Muko
City at the fork of two important old roads: the Saigoku Kaido Road and
the Atago Road. The house was originally referred to as the “Matsubaya”,
and is believed to have been built late 17th. It was used as soy sauce production
until 1853.The building is designed in the kirizuma style, which features deep eaves and a steeply angled roof. The kitchen area has a kemurinuki ventilation chimney on the roof. The complex also has two thick mud-wall kura storehouses: one at the back and one on the north side of the house. The front of the residence, facing the street, has a curved bamboo inufusegi (dog protection element) to protect the front wall. Generally, this home is only open to the public once or twice a year. Please check in advance. Access: Ten minutes south of Hankyu Higashi Muko Stn., along the Saigoku Kaido. Tel: 075-931-1111 (Muko City Public Office).
The Mikami Family Residence
The Mikami family was prominent in the sake business, as a passenger boat and cargo boat operator out of the port of Miyazu on the Sea of Japan, and as a wholesaler of silk thread. The residence was built in 1783, and registered as Kyoto Cultural Heritage Site in 1989. It was later donated by the family, as a special traditional heritage property, to the Miyazu City. As fires whipped up by storms were a common reason for the destruction of buildings in this coastal area, the Mikami residence is thickly plastered to prevent fire damage. The residence has a main living room, a shoin-style study, a tea room, a room (called a koji) for processing sake malt, and an exquisite garden. It is open to the public, and features an interesting range of Mikami family heirlooms, as well a number of other unique attractions. Open: 9:00-17:00. Access: To get to Miyazu, take the Tango Explorer from Kyoto Stn.; the house is 15-min. walk west of Miyazu Stn. Tel: (0772) 22-7529.
The Watanabe Family Residence
This thatched roof house, the oldest residence in the Tamba region, is believed
to have been built between the late 17th century and the early 18th century.
It was the Watanabe family home for more than 13 generations. In 1975, it
was registered as an Important Cultural Heritage Site. The present structure,
restored a number of times over the past 300 years, features a typical traditional
Japanese kitchen hearth (doma) and a Japanese-style fireplace (irori).
To visit the residence reservations are required. Access:
Take the JR San-in Honsen from Kyoto to Shimoyama Stn. and then walk about
20 minutes to the north. Tel: 0771-82-0200(Tamba public Office).