A sukiya wing opening on the garden
Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room is the detached reception wing of a merchant compound in Nakamachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built about 1930 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 5 December 2019. It is two storeys of timber, tiled and partly sheet-metal roofed, covering 78 square metres.
It adjoins the main house on the east and is the youngest of the seven items here, 44 years later than the three storehouses of 1886. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tradition that it was built for the son and his wife.
It was repaired in 2016. Its registration number is 07-0218.
Why it was listed
Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room was listed as a model of design.
What was recognised is the care of the joinery. The Agency describes it as a carefully finished house in the Sukiya-zukuri manner. On a plot otherwise filled with thick-walled storehouses, this one building is light, with slender posts.
The date matters too. A family that spent the Meiji and Taisho years putting up storehouses and a house finished with a wing for guests and for living. Read the buildings in order of age and the composition closes here.
Two floors, two moods
The ground floor holds two six-Tatami rooms. Above are an eight-mat and a six-mat room in line. The wing is small, but the rooms are finished to a high standard.
A veranda runs from the north round to the east, glazed in sliding screens, and from it the eastern garden shows. Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room sits near the eastern edge of the plot and is the only building here that faces the garden. It was built on the assumption that the screens would be opened.
The finish changes by floor. Downstairs the timber is lacquered clear; upstairs it is left bare. Sheen below, plain wood above: the treatment lightens as you climb.
Visiting
Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room adjoins the main house and cannot be seen from the street. It is reached on the paid visit.
Look out from the upper veranda towards the east garden. To see the difference in finish, climb the stairs and compare the colour of the timber. What is open can vary through the year, so ask at the reception desk.
Admission, hours, closing days and directions are set out on the page for Fukunishi Honten.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room built?
- About 1930, the youngest of the seven items here, and repaired in 2016.
- Why was Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tradition that it was built for the son and his wife. It adjoins the main house on the east.
- How do the two floors of Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room differ?
- Below are two six-mat rooms in lacquered timber; above are an eight-mat and a six-mat room in bare wood. The finish lightens as you climb.
- Can you see the garden from Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room?
- Yes. A glazed veranda runs from north to east and looks onto the garden. This is the only building on the plot that faces it.
- What is the registration number of Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room?
- 07-0218, listed on 5 December 2019.
Basic Information
| Name | Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room |
|---|---|
| Location | 321 Nakamachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019 (Reiwa 1) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber frame, 2 storeys, tiled roof partly in sheet metal, building area 78 square metres |
| Owner | Aizuwakamatsu Urban Development Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior as the route allows; exterior from within the compound |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Fukunishi Main Store Tatami Room (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013025
- Fukunishi Honten official site
- https://fukunishi-honten.com/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
