A 1953 House on Foundations of Local Stone
The Suzuki Family Residence Main House (鈴木家住宅主屋, Suzuki-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a single-storey timber house built in 1953 in Kanaya, Futtsu City, Chiba Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) in 2010. It measures 17 metres east to west and 11 metres north to south, with a building area of 147 square metres, and was renovated in 1985.
It stands in the middle of its plot facing south onto the old main street of Kanaya village. It was the home of the Suzuki family, stone merchants who dealt in Bōshū stone from Mount Nokogiri, and it was registered together with the storehouse, shrine, well and wall on the same property.
Why It Was Registered
The Suzuki Family Residence Main House was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation. With the long stone wall in front, it anchors the property's frontage on the old main street.
Although the house is timber, its foundations and bathroom are built of local Bōshū stone, a stone-trade family putting its own stock into its own home. Every building on the property involves Bōshū stone in some way, and the house is no exception.
What to Look For
The roof is intricate. A lower, stepped-down wing is attached to the main hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri), everything is laid in pantiles (Sangawara-buki), and lean-to roofs (Geya) run around the edges, so the roof planes pile up one behind another. It is careful, labor-intensive roofwork for a house of 1953.
Inside, the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out an acanthus motif worked in plaster on the ceiling of the Western-style room. Acanthus leaves have decorated column capitals and ceilings in Western architecture since antiquity; here a Japanese plasterer shaped them with a trowel. A Western room inside a Japanese house, ceiling finished by a local craftsman: that detail is what makes the interior worth knowing about.
Visiting
The Suzuki Family Residence Main House is part of the Nokogiriyama Museum of Art's premises, but the museum only advertises the Stone Storehouse annex as open. Whether you can see inside the house is not stated, so if the acanthus ceiling is why you are coming, contact the museum first.
The house faces the old main street, and its layered roof can be seen over the stone wall from the road. Follow the museum's directions on the grounds and stay out of areas that are not signed as open.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Chiba
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Suzuki Family Residence Main House
- [ Book Tokyo Disney Resort Tickets ]
Q&A
- Can you visit the Suzuki Family Residence Main House in Futtsu?
- It is part of the Nokogiriyama Museum of Art's premises, but only the Stone Storehouse annex is advertised as open. Ask the museum in advance about seeing the house.
- When was the Suzuki Family Residence Main House in Kanaya built?
- In 1953, with a renovation in 1985.
- What is distinctive about the roof of the Suzuki Family Residence Main House?
- A hipped main roof with a lower stepped wing and lean-tos all around, all in pantiles, creating many overlapping roof planes.
- Is Bōshū stone used in the Suzuki Family Residence Main House?
- Yes. The house is timber, but its foundations and bathroom are built of local Bōshū stone.
- What is the interior highlight of the Suzuki Family Residence Main House?
- An acanthus motif modelled in plaster on the ceiling of the Western-style room, noted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuki Family Residence Main House (鈴木家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| 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 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof; building area 147 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | No announced interior access |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Suzuki Family Residence Main House (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007972
- 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
- Nokogiriyama Museum of Art: Annex, Nokogiriyama Archives (Japanese)
- https://nokogiriyama.com/pages/annex.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
