A storehouse fitted out as a formal room
Hebinohana Goten Kurazashiki is part of a villa in Motomiya, Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in the late Meiji period and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 20 December 1996. It covers 43 square metres, small beside the 253 of the main building on the same site.
A kurazashiki is a storehouse whose interior is fitted out as a reception room or Zashiki. Thick walls resist fire and hold their temperature, cool in summer and warm in winter. Houses of wealthy landowners and merchants in the northeast often included one.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the structure as two timber storeys with a sheet-metal roof, while its own description calls the building Dozo-zukuri. The two entries disagree, so the basic data below follows the structural field and the description is noted here. Its registration number is 07-0006.
Why it was listed
Hebinohana Goten Kurazashiki was listed as a model of design, unlike the main building, which was listed as something not easily reproduced.
The Agency describes it as one of the kurazashiki often seen in houses of the northeast, and singles it out for the richness of its interior. The type is found in many places; what was recognised here is how completely it is realised.
Inside, it is finished like the main building, with painted panels and choice and oversized timbers. That a detached building received work of the same standard is what fixes its place here.
The main building's treatment, in 43 square metres
See it directly after the main building. The same materials and the same quality of work went into 253 square metres there and into 43 here. The scale shrinks by nearly six times; the care does not.
An ordinary storehouse keeps its windows small against burglary, which is enough if it holds goods. A room for people needs light. The kurazashiki as a type exists in that contradiction.
The painted panels decorate sliding doors and walls. Seeing them within a small room enclosed by thick walls is not the same experience as seeing comparable work in the wide rooms of the main building.
Visiting
Admission to the Janohana garden covers entry to Hebinohana Goten Kurazashiki, and it is seen together with the main building.
Photography inside requires separate permission. Dogs are admitted to the wider garden but not to the listed buildings.
Admission, opening hours, closing days and directions are set out on the page for Hebinohana Goten.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hebinohana Goten Kurazashiki
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- What is a kurazashiki?
- A storehouse whose interior is fitted out as a reception room. Thick walls resist fire, and houses of wealthy families in the northeast often included one.
- Can Hebinohana Goten Kurazashiki be visited?
- Yes. Garden admission includes the villa, and this building is seen together with the main house. Photography inside requires separate permission.
- How large is it?
- 43 square metres, against 253 for the main building on the same site, close to a sixth of the size.
- How is it constructed?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives two timber storeys with a sheet-metal roof in its structural field, while its description calls the building dozo-zukuri. The entries disagree.
- Under which criterion was it listed?
- As a model of design, whereas the main building was listed as something not easily reproduced.
Basic Information
| Name | Hebinohana Goten Kurazashiki |
|---|---|
| Location | 38 Hebi-no-hana, Motomiya, Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1996 (Heisei 8) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber frame, 2 storeys, sheet-metal roof, building area 43 square metres |
| Owner | Ito Shoji Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Included in garden admission; photography inside needs permission |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Hebinohana Goten Kurazashiki (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000026
- Admission and access (Janohana garden)
- https://janohana.com/?page_id=11
- Janohana, garden of flowers and history (Motomiya City)
- https://www.city.motomiya.lg.jp/site/kanko/230.html
Last verified: 2026.09.17
