Jitude's House (Manor lords)

Residence of the landlord in a farming village in the Ryukyu Kingdom

Lords [Jitude] was the person who managed a village on behalf of the lord (Jito) during the Ryukyu Kingdom era (1429-1879), and was the chief officer of the Magiri Bansho (currently municipal office). He supervised various administrations such as distribution of cultivated land, protection of forests, collection of taxes and payment to the government. Jitude was appointed out of influential persons. Though he was ranked as a peasant, he was given the title of [Pechin or Pekumi].
At the entrance of the mansion, there is a tile-roofed house's gate [Yajo] which was only allowed to have for Jito jobs and the main house is a wooden house with a tiled roof, which is one of the typical Okinawa’s houses. The east room is for the high ranking and the west room is for the lower ranking, which is the general layout of a sitting room. And the south side is the front side where people such as guests are welcomed, and the back side is the place of living.
In addition, there is a detached room in the mansion called [Ashagi] or "the front house" [Maenoie] which is found in wealthy rural houses.

The buildings that became the model of this house are Uezu-ke Residence (Kumejima Town, Shimajiri-county, Okinawa) and Mekaru-ke Residence (Izena Village, Shimajiri-county, Okinawa). Both of them retain the traditional form of Okinawa private houses, and are designated as a national important cultural property.