Ueda Residence: An Imaicho Elder's Corner House
Read a corner merchant house tied to Imaicho's town elders, sake trade and locally issued notes.
AI-generated visual study · not a documentary photographDiscover Ueda Residence: An Imaicho Elder's Corner House
Ueda Residence stands at a corner south of Daikuchō-suji, one of Imaicho's nationally protected historic houses. Its family was among the town elders who helped govern this merchant community, and municipal research connects the household to sake brewing and the issue of Imai-satsu local notes with other powerful merchants. The house is more than a façade: its doorway is unusually on the west side, the main building sits back from the street, and its low upper eaves and six-room arrangement reveal an upper-tier merchant home. Interior visiting requires advance telephone contact and has irregular opening.
See how position and authority meet
Most Imaicho façades make their relationship to the street quite direct. Here the corner site, step back from the road and western entrance alter the approach. Kashihara City describes the north-side work area and ordered rooms to its south. The house's relationship with Imaicho's sōdoshiyori, or town elders, explains why its plan and dignified exterior deserve attention. Do not treat the current building as a sixteenth-century original merely because the family tradition says its ancestors moved to Imaicho then.
Separate trade history from a present-day activity
The city notes early sake brewing and the family's participation with other wealthy houses in issuing Imai-satsu in the seventeenth century. Those are historical activities, not a current sake shop, money-changing counter or hands-on brewing workshop. A visitor interested in contemporary sake should use a separate working brewery guide. The heritage value here lies in seeing a dwelling shaped by the town's commercial power and local self-government.
Do not confuse two Ueda houses
Imaicho also has the Old Ueda Residence, a different prefecturally designated property associated with the Tsubohachi trade name. This article concerns the nationally designated Ueda Residence, the Tsuboya household at 4-4-25. The city's building description gives its construction only as approximately mid-eighteenth century, while an older heritage text contains a divergent much-earlier estimate; an exact construction year should not anchor the visit. Confirm the Japanese name and address when asking directions.
Reserve and confirm the visit details
The city's March 2026 sheet says the house opens irregularly and requires advance telephone application to 0744-23-5457. Kashihara's tourism association currently quotes ¥500 for adults and free admission for children through junior high; the municipality does not publish a fee in its newer visit sheet. Treat the association's figure as a current public listing, not a live confirmation from the household, and ask when arranging the visit. Walking the exterior is possible without entering a private doorway.
What to look for
Corner plot with an unusual west-side entrance
Home of a family linked to Imaicho's town elders
Separate nationally designated house from Old Ueda Residence
Photo notes
No Ueda house photograph is licensed for MyNara. Seek the owner's consent before interior photography, publication or commercial filming; nearby residential doors are not public exhibits.
SEASONAL CALENDAR
Events connected with Ueda Residence: An Imaicho Elder's Corner House
These records are shared with MyNara’s event calendar, so dates and notices have one source. Recurring patterns are not confirmed dated editions; check the organizer’s latest guidance.
Imaicho Townscape Walk
Kashihara City describes this town-wide May festival as a chance to experience Imaicho's history and culture in its nationally designated historic district. The programme can include a period-costume tea procession, a recreated Rokusai market, tea service, street art, performances and openings at selected historic houses. The Agency for Cultural Affairs' profile of the district reports more than 10,000 visitors annually. The usual window is the second Saturday through the third Sunday in May, with the main events on the third Sunday; check the current city or preservation-society notice for the next dates, open buildings, fees and traffic arrangements. The district is the venue; nearby shops and residences are not automatically participating venues.
Check organizer informationMake a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 20 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.
- Kashihara City — Ueda family, town elders and building plan
- Kashihara City — March 2026 appointment requirement
- Kashihara City — March 2026 visitor sheet: advance telephone arrangement, irregular opening
- Kashihara Tourism Association — newer conflicting admission quote
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — distinct house identity and address
- GSI — approximate address-level map point