A villa built out of carving and painted panels
Hebinohana Goten Main Building is 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 is two storeys of timber under a sheet-metal roof, covering 253 square metres.
It stands on high ground inside the garden now called Janohana. Motomiya City records that it was built as the villa of the Ito family, wealthy landowners of the old town of Motomiya.
Its registration number is 07-0005, following the four at Mukaitaki in Fukushima and among the six entered in the first year the registration system operated.
Why it was listed
Hebinohana Goten Main Building was listed as something not easily reproduced, the criterion used where materials or techniques are now hard to obtain.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to gabled dormers and a cusped gable on the roofline, fine carving at the entrance, painted panels within, and the choice and oversized timbers used throughout, concluding that the building is singular inside and out and has few parallels.
The kurazashiki on the same site was listed under a different criterion, as a model of design. The main building was judged on its materials and carving, the kurazashiki on how completely it realises its type.
Gables, carving, timber
The roof registers first. Gabled dormers and a cusped gable are used together, two forms of quite different character on one building.
The entrance carries fine carving, and it is a part that can be approached and examined closely. Stop in front of the porch before going in.
Inside, painted panels survive on the sliding doors and walls, and choice and oversized timbers appear throughout. At 253 square metres the house is not enormous for a villa, but within that area the materials and the labour are concentrated.
Visiting
Admission to the Janohana garden covers entry to Hebinohana Goten Main Building; the villa's fee is included in the garden ticket.
Photography inside the villa requires separate permission, and the same applies to its garden. 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 Main Building
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- Can Hebinohana Goten Main Building be visited?
- Yes. Admission to the Janohana garden includes entry to the villa. Photography inside requires separate permission.
- Who built Hebinohana Goten Main Building?
- Motomiya City records that it was built as the villa of the Ito family, wealthy landowners of the old town, in the late Meiji years.
- What stands out about the exterior?
- Gabled dormers used together with a cusped gable on the roof, and fine carving at the entrance. Painted panels survive inside.
- Under which criterion was it listed?
- As something not easily reproduced. The kurazashiki on the same site was listed as a model of design.
- What is its registration number?
- 07-0005, listed on 20 December 1996, among the first six registrations in Fukushima Prefecture.
Basic Information
| Name | Hebinohana Goten Main Building |
|---|---|
| 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 253 square metres |
| Owner | Ito Shoji Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Included in garden admission; photography inside needs permission |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Hebinohana Goten Main Building (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000025
- 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
