A Well Head Cut From a Single Block
The Suzuki Family Residence Well (鈴木家住宅井戸, Suzuki-ke Jūtaku Ido) is a stone well from the early Shōwa era in Kanaya, Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) in 2010. It covers 1.5 square metres and is 8.2 metres deep.
It lies toward the north of the property, just north of the Stone Storehouse. Bōshū stone is used throughout, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs sees it as a record of Kanaya's history as a stone-producing town.
Why It Was Registered
The Suzuki Family Residence Well was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation.
The well head is the key. It is a single block 1.2 metres square and 0.61 metres thick, with a round shaft 0.87 metres across cut straight through it, and chamfered corners. Rather than building up a curb from separate stones, the mason hollowed a circle out of one great block. Cutting a piece that size in one go and boring it cleanly takes a practiced hand, the kind of work you would expect at the home of a stone merchant.
What to Look For
The well is built in three layers. Below the single-block head, long dressed stones are stacked in a ring, and below that the shaft is cut directly into the bedrock, for a total depth of 8.2 metres.
Hollowed stone at the top, laid stone in the middle, excavated rock at the bottom: the Suzuki Family Residence Well shows three different ways of working stone stacked in a single shaft.
Visiting
The Suzuki Family Residence Well is just north of the Stone Storehouse, which is open as the Nokogiriyama Museum of Art's annex. The museum only advertises the storehouse, however, and does not say whether the well can be seen. When you visit the annex, ask at the desk whether you may go near it. It is not visible from the street.
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Q&A
- Can you see the Suzuki Family Residence Well in Futtsu?
- It lies just north of the Stone Storehouse, which is open as a museum annex, but the well itself is not advertised as open. Ask at the Nokogiriyama Museum of Art desk when you visit.
- How deep is the Suzuki Family Residence Well?
- 8.2 metres.
- How was the head of the Suzuki Family Residence Well made?
- From a single block of stone 1.2 metres square and 0.61 metres thick, with a round opening 0.87 metres across cut through it and the corners chamfered.
- When was the Suzuki Family Residence Well made?
- In the early Shōwa era. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
- What lies beneath the head of the Suzuki Family Residence Well?
- A ring of long stones stacked in courses, and below that a shaft cut into the bedrock.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuki Family Residence Well (鈴木家住宅井戸) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2288-1 Kanaya Uehara and others, Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/1/15 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone; area 1.5 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | No announced public access |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Suzuki Family Residence Well (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007975
- Chiba Prefectural Board of Education: Suzuki Family Residence Main House and others, Futtsu (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-076.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
