Noguchi House
The Noguchi Family House is a traditional-style machiya home, located in Kyoto, and designated by the city as a Tangible Cultural Property.
The Noguchi family to which this home belonged was, generation after generation, a family successful as dry-goods dealers. The house was originally built in the Kyôhô era (1716-1736), but the current structure dates to 1864, having been rebuilt after a fire. The genkan (entranceway), living space, and commercial space are connected together, in an architectural form known as tawaraya-zukuri.
The tatami rooms at the center of the house are of particular note. Prior to the fire, the tatami were said to have come from the Kobori mansion in Fushimi, and so in 1871, tatami were obtained from a Matsuya Hikobee in Fushimi. Twelve and a half mats were used to cover the main room and a neighboring room; the tokonoma is one and a half ma[1] wide, and the room contains a chigaidana shelf as well.
Furthermore, the style or form of the nailheads, ceilings, metal elements, and other aspects of the traditional style construction are said to have some deep connection to Kobori Enshû (one of the three top tea masters, garden landscape artists, etc. of the late 16th to early 17th century).
The house is treasured as a model example of Kyô-machiya architectural style, and in 1983, was officially designated a Tangible Cultural Property by the city. It stands across the street from the modern headquarters of the Noguchi family's business, also housed in a repurposed machiya.
References
- Signs on-site.
- ↑ One ma is the standard distance between supporting pillars in traditional Japanese architecture.
