富田林寺内町の探訪

I'm glad to intorduce an old town, Jinaimachi, Tondabayashi, Osaka, Japan as a national historic district and heritage site.

It takes 30 minutes from Osaka city to Tondabayashi station by Kintetsu railways. A 10-minutes walk will take you to the historic town.

ギャラリー

Former Sugiyama family residence, designated as an important national cultural heritage of Japan. The Kirie picture is produced by Mr. Yoshiyuki Kondo. All rights reserved.

residence of the (south) Okutani Family

【Tourist guide to Jinaimachi town, Tondabayashi, a historic district and heritage site of Japan, Residence of the (south) Okutani family】

the 100 selection of Japanese roads - Jyounomonsuji street

Yatsumune-zukuri style structure
A few number of ridges is used in the builldings.
The name of the building structure that has a complex roof affected by building of citadel, adding decorative elements such as Chidori-hafu, a trianglular shaped gable or a dormer bargeboard, or both combined, on the intricate plane.

Sangawara-buki
Method to roof a house with pantile.

main building of yatsumune-zukuri style structure

Kirizuma style roof
a roof shaped like a half-opened book, called a gable roof or ridge roof

Kirizuma style roof

after completion of exterior repairing works

Gas meter can be seen inside and monthly consumption is measured through the small window on the wall by the utility company agent.

Sodeudatsu (Sodekabe)
Extensions of the gable parapet walls that fill the trapezoidal space between the overhanging eaves of the main roof and the pent roof. It is set up as a wall for crime prevention for a thief not to enter as well as a fence to prevent catching fire from next door in the case of the fire.

sodeudatsu (the south side of gable)

sodeudatsu (the north side of gable)

Zushi-Nikai or Tsushi-Nikai
The second floor with a low ceiling, which is seen on plastered wall of farmhouses found in Kansai region.

Mushikagomado (Mushikomado)
The second floor windows with a plastered grid on the plasterer wall of buildings.
It is believed to have developedthrough the vent holes of the second floor with low ceiling. There are also often used in townhouses, and some are in shape of patterns and trademarks.

mushikomado window

tsushi-nikai and mushikomado window

Atemage-no-Michi
(literally means “the road struck and bent”)

Jinaimachi town of Tondabayashi was originally developed as a religious mission town with autonomy during the age of provincial wars in Japan, approximately 1467-1590.

The streets in the town area are laid out in a grid running north-south and east-west, and the original town planning has been left at present. For the security reason, the two streets crossing at right angles were slightly deviated on purpose, then the structure made it difficult for foreign enemy who invaded the town to foresee straight a distant place. The structure was often seen in castle towns at that time.

Atemage-no-michi and furuteya-bashi stone bridge

the 100 selection of Japanese roads - Jyounomonsuji street

Youjin-Bori
(Ditch for firefighting water)

Youjin-Bori literally means a ditch of precautions against fire.

The town is located at the hilltop of river terrace of Ishikawa River. Therefore, water supply was insufficient, and the residents of the whole town had extremely paid attentions on the prevention of the fire. There are ditches keeping firefighting water called the Youjin-Bori in Ichiriyama-cho and Tomiyama-cho in the north as well as the stone signpost at the entrance of town, describing the cautions that visitors are not supposed to walk around in smoking and to carry a cord being ignited in the town. Those facilities are understood for the residents to have protected the town for a long time, considering mutual benefit and prosperity of the community. Such considerations might be one of the reasons why the old townscape was left and preserved as it used to be.

stone bridge of furuteya-bashi over Yojin-bori ditch along Jyounomonsuji street

the Chinese characters "furuteya-bashi" are engraved on the stone bridge

【Tourist guide to Jinaimachi town, Tondabayashi, a histric district and heritage site of Japan, Residence of the (head) Okutani family】

【Tourist guide to Jinaimachi town, Tondabayashi, a histric district and heritage site of Japan, Residence of the (east) Okutani family】

【Tourist guide to Jinaimachi town, Tondabayashi, a historic district and heritage site of Japan, Residence of the (northwest) Okutani family】

Jinaimachi Town Sightseeing Map（English)

Jinaimachi Town Sightseeing Map（Chinese）

Jinaimachi Town Sightseeing Map（Korean）

Information

Not open to the public
(private residence)

Year built:
The early Meiji period

Location:
At the intersection of Jyounomonsuji street and Kita (north) Kaisho-cho street in Jinaimachi town.

Trade name: Iwase-ya

History (Origin)
This family founded as a branch family of the head Okutani family at the time of the sixth generation of the head family, whose trade name was called Iwase-ya and the residence of which is located next door to the north of the site. It is not apparent when the branch family was found, but is estimated to be the first half of the Meiji era. They ran brewing sweet sake of mirin seasoning.

Features of the buildings
The main building (Yatsumune zukuri style structure) consists of six well-proportioned living rooms, with a crossbeam of six and half ken length (a ken = 1.82meter), a five and half ken length of beam and three rooms in a row along the beam.

The second floor extremely developed, including two rooms with a shelf placed on the floor, but the height of the second floor of frontage is as low as was usually built in the Edo era. The roof has is kirizuma style structure and sangawara style roof-tiles and does not have roof-top small roof for smoke ventilation.

The building let smoke get out through the window put in the upper gable backward. A lot of buildings representing each time including the residence of this family are left in Jinaimachi, Tondabayashi and we can know the change of the life in the area by watching those changes.

Visitor Center
(Jinaimachi Kouryuukan,
Town Community Center)

Address
9-29, Tondabayashi-cho, Tondabayashi city, Osaka, 584-0033, Japan
TEL.+81-(0)721-26-0110
FAX.+81-(0)721-26-0110
open 10a.m. until 5 p.m.
closed on Monday

The site-seeing map
available in English. Please stop by to the Tourist Information Cetnter or Jinaimachi Visitor Center. You can get the visitor map.

Restrooms
Available at Jinaimachi Visitor Center (Jinaimachi Kouryuukan), Jinaimachi Center and Jinaimachi Tenbou Hiroba (Viewing Terrace)

Visitor Parking
Road width is very narrow in Jinaimachi town. If traveling by car, please use Tondabayashi Municipal east parking newly opened in February 2014 (Toll parking).

You can park the minibus for groups and passenger cars for general use. Only one parking lot available for minibus, you must book it in advance with Tondabayashi City Hall. A 15-minute walk to the Jinaimachi Visitor Center and 5 minute walk up to the former Sugiyama family house, an important national cultural property.

You will note that the large tourist bus for groups is requested to be parked at the Tondabayashi City Hall No. 2 parking lot alongside the old Route 170 (It must be booked in advance to City Hall). 20-minute walk to the Jinaimachi Visitor Center and 10 minute walk up to the former Sugiyama family house, an important national cultural property. Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

Shops & restaurants

Town Planning

Jyounomonsuji street "the 100 selections of roads in Japan"

Koushouji Betsuin Buddhist Temple

Former Sugiyama residence

Nakamura residence

Former Tanaka residence

Architecture Vol. 1/2

Architecture Vol. 2/2

Roof ・Roof tiles

Mushikomado

Koushimado