An Old Inn on the Hokkoku Kaido at Imajo
The Former Wakasaya Inn (旧旅籠若狭屋) is a post-town inn of the late Edo period in Imajo, Minamiechizen Town, Nanjo District, Fukui Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on July 25, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a sheet-metal roof, covering 160 square metres; registration number 18-0103.
A Townhouse in the Old Imajo Post Town
The Former Wakasaya Inn stands in the old Imajo post town, facing west onto the old Hokkoku Kaido highway: a townhouse 10 metres wide and 9.5 metres deep, entered on its long side (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
It is a two-storey timber building with a gabled sheet-metal roof and eaves at front and back. The central bay of the front is the entrance and the rest is fitted with flat lattices. Guest rooms are upstairs, with tatami rooms and a kitchen below (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, an inn that conveys the look of a post town.
What to Look For
Look for the flat lattices facing the highway and the upstairs guest rooms typical of an inn (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
No official information on access to the interior was found. The front can be seen from the old Hokkoku Kaido.
Q&A
- When was the Former Wakasaya Inn built?
- In the late Edo period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is it?
- In the old Imajo post town, facing the old Hokkoku Kaido.
- Where were the guest rooms?
- Upstairs.
- How is Imajo read?
- I-ma-jo, according to the Japan Post postcode data.
- When was the Former Wakasaya Inn registered?
- On July 25, 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Wakasaya Inn (旧旅籠若狭屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | Imajo, Minamiechizen Town, Nanjo District, Fukui Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/07/25 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber building, sheet-metal roof, 160 m², 10 by 9.5 m |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Former Wakasaya Inn (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008682
Last verified: 2026.10.18