The Former Yahagi Family Residence is a traditional farmhouse dating from the mid-Edo period (1603–1868), located in the Izumida district in northern Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture. It is a valuable example of traditional farmhouse architecture from the Mogami region and was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1969.
One of its most distinctive features is the katanakamon-zukuri style, a type of traditional farmhouse architecture that developed in the snowy regions along the Sea of Japan. In this design, a horse stable is incorporated into a section projecting from the main residence. Similar structures were once common in snowy areas such as Yamagata, Akita, and Niigata.
Inside the house, visitors can see traditional features such as a sunken hearth, agricultural tools, and other household facilities. Walking through the rooms makes it possible to imagine how farming families lived and worked during the Edo period. The residence is generally open to the public from April through November.
Based on its architectural structure and style, the Former Yahagi Family Residence is believed to have been built around the mid-18th century. It is considered a representative example of traditional farmhouse architecture in the Mogami region and provides valuable insight into both rural life and construction techniques of the period.
The residence originally stood in the Hagino district of Shinjo. The nakamon, or projecting entrance and stable section, was rebuilt in the early 19th century, while additional alterations and extensions were made around the middle of the Meiji period and the beginning of the Taisho period.
The house was later acquired by Shinjo City and was dismantled and relocated in 1975. It was reconstructed at its present location and carefully preserved as an important example of an old farmhouse from the region.
The Former Yahagi Family Residence is built in the distinctive katanakamon-zukuri style, in which the horse stable projects from the front of the main house as a nakamon. Among the surviving examples of this style in Yamagata Prefecture, the residence is notable for preserving many features of an early form of the design.
Combining the living quarters and horse stable into one structure was also a practical response to the region’s harsh winters. Keeping people, animals, work areas, and living spaces closely connected helped families cope with heavy snowfall and cold weather.
The interior of the house contains a number of distinctive spaces that reveal how farming families lived in the past. Areas such as an earthen-floor workspace, horse stables, work areas, a kitchen, living quarters, and bedrooms were arranged according to the practical needs of agricultural life.
The residence has an earthen-floor area as well as two spaces known locally as maya, or horse stables. At the center of the house is a work area called the niwa, where various agricultural tasks and other household work were carried out.
At the rear of the building is an area known as the nagashi, which served as the kitchen. The close relationship between the agricultural work areas and the family’s living spaces provides a clear picture of how work and daily life were closely intertwined in traditional farmhouses.
At the heart of the residence is a living space known as the ennaka. A traditional irori, or sunken hearth, is set into the floor, and the room is believed to have served as the main gathering place for the family.
The ceiling above the ennaka is open, allowing visitors to see the structure of the roof directly overhead. Imagining a family gathered around the hearth on a winter evening offers a vivid sense of what life in a traditional farmhouse may have been like.
Raised slightly above the floor level of the ennaka are two sleeping rooms known as the Ue-no-den and Shimo-no-den. These rooms have raised floors and ceilings, creating a more enclosed and private atmosphere than the central living area.
The arrangement of these rooms demonstrates how different areas of a traditional farmhouse were carefully separated according to their functions.
Behind the residence is a pond used to help melt and manage snow during winter. The Mogami region receives heavy snowfall, and dealing with snow removed from the roof and surrounding areas was an essential part of everyday life.
The presence of this facility is a reminder of the practical knowledge developed by generations of residents to cope with the demanding winter environment. It is an especially interesting feature for visitors who want to understand how people adapted their homes to life in a snowy region.
The Former Yahagi Family Residence also preserves important traditional construction techniques. The building consists of a main structural frame known as the uwaya and surrounding lower sections known as geya. One notable feature is that many of the original main structural posts remain in place with relatively little omission or alteration.
Except for the post associated with the Shimo-no-den, many of these structural posts have been carefully shaped with polygonal cross-sections. The surfaces were finished using axes and traditional hand tools, giving the structural members an expressive appearance rather than treating them simply as functional building materials.
These details demonstrate why the residence is regarded as an important surviving example of the traditional katanakamon-zukuri farmhouse style in Yamagata Prefecture.
Length (frontage): approximately 16.4 meters
Depth: approximately 7.8 meters
The main building has a hipped roof (yosemune-zukuri), with a lower roof section attached along the northern side. A projecting nakamon measuring approximately 5.3 meters wide and 5.8 meters deep extends from the front of the building and has a hip-and-gable roof (irimoya-zukuri).
A toilet is attached to the western side, and the roof is covered with traditional thatched roofing, giving the residence its characteristic appearance as a historic rural farmhouse.
The Former Yahagi Family Residence is more than simply an old traditional house. It is a valuable cultural property where visitors can gain a concrete understanding of how farming families lived and worked during the Edo period.
The ennaka with its irori hearth, the niwa work area, horse stables, and snow-melting pond all preserve traces of everyday life and demonstrate the practical wisdom developed by people living in a region with heavy snowfall.
When visiting Shinjo, take time to look beyond the traditional thatched exterior and explore the interior as well. The residence offers a rare opportunity to step into a historic farmhouse and experience the architecture, lifestyle, and ingenuity of the Mogami region that have been passed down from the Edo period to the present day.