Ogino House in Yakushiike Park

Edo era thatched roof house

Cathy Cawood Jul 31, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>The house now stands in a beautiful park setting</p>

<p>The path to the Ogino house leads from a traditional wooden gate  </p>

<p>One of several water basins in the garden around the house</p>

<p>Typical traditional layout with rooms separated by sliding doors from a corridor running along the outer wall.</p>

<p>I think this wooden chute was for draining waste water from the kitchen</p>

<p>Bronze maple frames the house against a green background.</p>

<p>Thick green moss grows on the thatch</p>

<p>If you look under the eaves you can get an idea of how the thatch roof is made</p>

<p>You an see the thatch is deteriorating along this edge</p>

Two old thatched roof houses stand in Yakushiike Park, both moved there and preserved as examples of private homes from the Edo Era. The house in these photos belonged to a doctor named Ogino, who built it as a clinic in what was then a rural area of Machida. After the doctor's death it became a family house. It provides a fascinating glimpse of the lifestyle of late Edo times.

(The second thatched roof house is the Nagai House.)

More info

Find out more about Yakushi-ike Park.

Cathy Cawood @cathy.cawood

I came to Japan in 2003 to teach English. I lived in Shiga prefecture for 1 year, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Kyoto for 9 years, then moved to Machida, Tokyo in 2014 after meeting my Japanese partner. I love to take photos, and my Japan in Pictures Facebook page ha...