A merchant's house built around its counting room
Fukunishi Main Store is the residential wing of a merchant compound in Nakamachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built about 1915 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 5 December 2019. It is a two-storey timber building, tiled and partly sheet-metal roofed, covering 274 square metres.
It adjoins the shop storehouse on the east, and the entrance at the southwest corner has a doorway straight through into the shop. Trade and household are separated by a single door, which says most of what needs saying about the building.
It was repaired in 2016. Its registration number, 07-0215, is the third of the seven on this plot.
Why it was listed
Fukunishi Main Store was listed as a model of design rather than for its part in the landscape. The judgement is about how it is made.
What was recognised is the quality of the joinery. This was somewhere the family lived, yet neither the materials nor the workmanship were stinted. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it simply as a dwelling of superior finish, an example of how far a merchant house in a provincial city would go in the Taisho years.
Thirty-five mats, and a corridor to the privy
The ground floor turns on a counting room enclosed in glazed screens, with the proprietor's room to the north and service rooms to the south. The striking element is the corridor, which runs past the detached wing all the way to an outdoor privy east of the zashikigura. You can reach the far end of the plot without going outside.
Upstairs are three reception rooms totalling 35 Tatami mats. They are not in a line but set at right angles, so that opening the sliding partitions makes one hall and closing them makes three rooms. This upper floor of Fukunishi Main Store was where the household received guests and held its gatherings.
The thing to compare is the difference between the floors. Below, circulation governs everything; above, the mat count and the way the partitions open govern instead. The design rules change inside one building.
Visiting
Fukunishi Main Store stands at the centre of a compound open to paying visitors, and its interior is part of the route. Admission and hours apply to the whole property.
Which rooms are shown, and in what order, can change through the year. Check at the reception desk, including about photography, before going in.
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
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was Fukunishi Main Store built?
- About 1915, and it was repaired in 2016.
- What is on the upper floor of Fukunishi Main Store?
- Three reception rooms totalling 35 tatami mats, set at right angles so that they open into a single hall.
- Can the interior of Fukunishi Main Store be visited?
- Yes. It is part of the paid visitor route through the compound, though what is shown can vary through the year.
- Does Fukunishi Main Store connect to the shop storehouse?
- Yes. It adjoins it on the east, and the southwest entrance has a doorway through into the shop.
- What is the registration number of Fukunishi Main Store?
- 07-0215. All seven items on the plot were listed together on 5 December 2019.
Basic Information
| Name | Fukunishi Main Store |
|---|---|
| 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 274 square metres |
| Owner | Aizuwakamatsu Urban Development Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Open with admission; included in the visitor route |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Fukunishi Main Store (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013022
- Fukunishi Honten official site
- https://fukunishi-honten.com/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
