Nakamura’s House at Shikemichi Nagoya

20/08/2024

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A rare house that enshrines the god of the roof

I’ve mentioned this many times in this blog, but Nagoya has very few areas with historical buildings. The reason for this is that they were destroyed by American air raids during World War II. Of course, there are some buildings that miraculously survived the air raids, but they are scattered around, so they often go unnoticed. Despite the scarcity of historical buildings in Nagoya, there is actually a hidden area near Nagoya Station. It’s a place called Shikemichi. A short walk from Shikemichi is the Nakamura House, a 200-year-old Japanese house that has miraculously survived. Although it’s privately owned, so you can’t go inside, you can still enjoy the appearance of a traditional Japanese house from Nagoya’s past.

What’s interesting about this house is that it enshrines the god of the roof. There is a section on the second floor decorated with a rope, similar to a shrine. This is said to be a custom unique to Nagoya.