Black plaster outside, Ionic columns within
Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse is the street-front shop building of a merchant compound in Nakamachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built about 1914 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 5 December 2019. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof covering 102 square metres.
It faces west onto the street. The walls are finished in black Shikkui plaster, a signboard stand rises on the lean-to at the front, and the upper windows are double leaves faced in copper sheet. The point on the street where the wall colour changes is the front of this building.
It was repaired in the late 1980s and again in 2016. Its registration number, 07-0213, is the first of the seven here.
Why it was listed
Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse was listed as a model of design. On the same plot the sodegura and the brick wall were listed for their part in the landscape; this one was judged on its construction.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a shop storehouse of weighty exterior and fine interior. That the two read differently is itself the finding.
Black plaster costs more work than white. An even sheen takes a skilled plasterer. Choosing it for the face that meets the street shows where a merchant family spent.
A storehouse holding a parlour
Step inside and the character changes. Ionic columns stand at the line of the lean-to on the ground floor, a Western capital inside a thick-walled Japanese shop. That detail alone dates the building.
The threshold beam is cut to a curve at the corners. Ceiling and other timbers are finished in clear Urushi lacquer so the grain shows through. Rounding the edges and raising a sheen is repeated throughout.
Upstairs an eight-Tatami room sits beside a Western-style room. Japanese and Western rooms on one floor were unremarkable in the Taisho years; having them inside a storehouse is what makes Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse worth looking at.
Visiting
The exterior can be seen from the street at any time, and the black plaster and copper-faced upper windows read best from the far side of the road. Photography is unrestricted.
The interior is part of the paid visitor route. What is shown, and in what order, can change 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 Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- What is the black wall of Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse?
- Black shikkui plaster, a costlier finish than white, needing a skilled hand to bring up an even sheen. The street elevation is finished this way.
- What is inside Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse?
- Ionic columns at the lean-to line on the ground floor, with lacquered timber throughout, and an eight-mat room beside a Western-style room upstairs.
- When was Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse built?
- About 1914, with repairs in the late 1980s and in 2016.
- Can Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse be seen from the street?
- Yes. It faces west onto the road and its exterior can be seen at any hour, with no restriction on photography.
- What is the registration number of Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse?
- 07-0213, the first of the seven items on this plot.
Basic Information
| Name | Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse |
|---|---|
| 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 | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 102 square metres |
| Owner | Aizuwakamatsu Urban Development Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street at any time; interior included in the visitor route |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Fukunishi Main Store Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013020
- Fukunishi Honten official site
- https://fukunishi-honten.com/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
