Former Negishi Family Residence
The Former Negishi Family Residence (旧根岸家住宅, Kyū Negishi-ke Jūtaku) in Iwamoto-cho, Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture, is a family compound centred on a main house of the early Meiji period (1868 to 1882); its main house, storehouse and front gate were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on January 26, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). All three belong to the NPO Forest Energy Forum.
A 2022 Fukui Prefecture release on new registrations marks the residence as the old head house of the Kobayashi family, who prospered as paper merchants. The Yoshida Family Residence in the same district, covered in that release, was built by a branch of the family.
A House in the Washi Villages of Goka
Iwamoto is one of the villages grouped as Goka, the home of Echizen washi, the handmade paper of this valley (Fukui Prefecture). The Agency for Cultural Affairs places the residence in the old Imadate townscape.
A Fukui Prefecture survey of traditional houses notes that between Sadatomo and Ōtaki, gable-entry (Tsumairi) houses raise Udatsu walls at both front and back, and that many of them are large. The main house of the Former Negishi Family Residence follows the pattern, with big udatsu at its front and rear (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
How the Three Buildings Sit
The property fronts a street that runs beside a waterway. The front gate faces the street across a small bridge; the main house stands in the middle of the plot facing west; the storehouse sits behind it on the east edge, its ridge running north to south (Agency for Cultural Affairs). From the street the order is gate, house, storehouse.
The main house dates from the early Meiji period and was altered in 1918, while the storehouse and gate both belong to the early Showa period (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Their registration numbers are 18-0087 for the main house, 18-0088 for the storehouse and 18-0089 for the gate. The main house was registered as a model of form, the storehouse and gate for their contribution to the historic landscape. Each building is described on its own page.
Visiting
No official information was found on opening the Former Negishi Family Residence or on guided visits. The exterior can be seen from the street; the grounds are private, so please do not enter.
The nearest bus stop is Washi no Sato on the Fukutetsu Bus Nanetsu and Ikeda lines, about 30 minutes by bus from Takefu Station on the Hapi-Line Fukui (Echizen Washi Village). From the stop the residence is about 600 metres away in a straight line. From Echizen-Takefu Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, a taxi to the washi village takes about 10 minutes.
References
- Former Negishi Family Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008452
- Former Negishi Family Residence Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008453
- Former Negishi Family Residence Front Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008454
- Registration of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, July 2022 (Fukui Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www2.pref.fukui.lg.jp/press/atfiles/pac01657607408b5.pdf
- Traditional Houses of Fukui, 2006 Certification (Fukui Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.fukui.lg.jp/doc/bunshin/nintei-shokai_d/fil/H18_denmin.pdf
- Access (Echizen Washi Village, Japanese)
- https://www.echizenwashi.jp/
Last verified: 2026.10.20
Basic Information
| Name | Former Negishi Family Residence |
|---|---|
| Location | 8-1 Nakamachi, 16 Iwamotocho, Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture |
| Owner | NPO Forest Energy Forum |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (3) |
| Coordinates | 35.90848, 136.24867 |
