A Shipping Merchant's Townhouse of 1865 in Obama
The Former Furukawaya Sobei House (旧古川屋惣兵衛住宅) is the house of a shipping merchant of 1865 in Minato, Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 14, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof, covering 112 square metres; registration number 18-0232.
A Shipping Merchant's House in the Old Castle Town
The Former Furukawaya Sobei House belonged to a merchant family who ran a shipping business in the old castle town of Obama (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a two-storey timber townhouse under a gabled pantile roof, entered on the long side, with projecting lattices on the street.
Upstairs, lattice windows are set in walls with exposed posts, and the side walls are plastered over from the wing walls at either end; wing walls also stand at the back. Inside, an earth-floored passage runs beside three rooms in a row (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, a townhouse going back to the Edo period, rare in Obama.
What to Look For
Look for the projecting lattices on the street and the plastered side walls rising from the wing walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
No official information on access to the interior was found. The building can be seen from the road.
Q&A
- When was the house built?
- In 1865 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What trade did Furukawaya follow?
- Shipping, in the old castle town of Obama.
- How is it laid out?
- An earth-floored passage beside three rooms in a row.
- Why is it valuable?
- Townhouses going back to the Edo period are rare in Obama.
- When was the Former Furukawaya Sobei House registered?
- On October 14, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Furukawaya Sobei House (旧古川屋惣兵衛住宅) |
|---|---|
| Location | Minato, Obama City, Fukui Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, 112 m² |
| Owner | Machizukuri Obama Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Former Furukawaya Sobei House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013990
Last verified: 2026.10.18