Kuriyama Residence, Machiya townhouse in Gojō, Japan

The Kuriyama Residence is a large wooden townhouse in central Gojō, built in 1607 and the oldest dated private house in Japan. Its main room follows a six-room plan, later altered with tokonoma, shelves and a shoin alcove; the original layout had closed rooms with many walls and a doma lined with sill-grooved sliding posts. Symmetrical tie beams and a small roof frame above them show the basis of later early-modern machiya.

The building's construction date of 1607 (Keichō 12) was established from a ridge tag found during repairs, making it Japan's oldest house with a known build date. The original occupants are unknown, but the large-scale grounds in central Gojō point to a household of considerable standing. It was designated an Important Cultural Property in April 1968 and forms part of the Gojō Shinmachi Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

The house stands in the Gojō Shinmachi district, a preservation area of traditional townhouses, and has been a designated Important Cultural Property since April 1968. It is still lived in, so it is not open to the public. Its large plot in the centre of Gojō points to a household of considerable standing, though the first occupant is unknown.

The exterior is visible from the surrounding paths, but the interior remains a private family home and is not open to visitors. You can appreciate the building's traditional construction and design from the outside.

The 1607 construction date was not known from records but found on a ridge tag (munefuda) inside the roof during repairs, which is how the house was identified as Japan's oldest dated private dwelling. The building is still lived in and closed to the public.