Located in the precinct of Koma Shrine in Niihori, Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture, the Koma family’s residence is a private house, where generations of the Koma family, the priests of Koma Shrine, had lived since the early Edo period (1603-1868). It was designated as a National Important Cultural Property in 1971.
It is said that the house was built during the Kencho era (1596-1614); however there is no record to identify the exact era. From the architectural style, it is supposed to have been built some time in the middle of the 17th century. The house is in Irimoya-zukuri (hip-and-gable style) with a thatched roof. Facing the east against the backdrop of a hill, the house has 5 rooms and a relatively small doma (earth floor) space. A large number of pillars are used and thin lumbers are used for the beams. The pillars and beams are all finished with a hand ax to make them round. This is a precious building to show us what the life of the shrine priests in the Edo period was like.