About the Soeda Family Residence Main House
The Soeda Family Residence Main House (添田家住宅主屋, Soeda-ke Jūtaku Shuoku) is a two-storey timber farmhouse built in 1933 at the centre of the Soeda family estate in Hanukita, Kitayama, Ishikawa Town, Fukushima Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2011.
The house covers 117 m² under a tiled roof and stands at the back of the plot. It was renovated in 2009 and registered two years later, on the same day as the three storehouses around it. It is the only Showa-era building on the estate; all three storehouses date from the Meiji era.
A T-Shaped Plan
Seen from above, the Soeda Family Residence Main House forms a letter T. A long block runs north to south, and an east-west wing projects from the middle of its east side.
The north-south block holds two rooms at each end, north and south. The northern rooms are fitted with formal alcove fixtures, which marks them as the side of the house where guests were received.
East of the north-south block lies the naka-zashiki, a middle reception room of 15 tatami mats. It is left open to the roof as a double-height space: the house has two storeys, but here no upper floor was laid. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles this room out for its open, airy feel.
Why the Soeda Family Residence Main House Was Registered
The Soeda Family Residence Main House was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. With its three Meiji storehouses it gives shape to a homestead set among fields and woods in the hills.
The date, 1933, is firm. Since the storehouses are older, the family presumably lived in an earlier house before this one, but no published record describes it. The west storehouse was moved to its present position in the same early Showa years.
Seeing the Soeda Family Residence Main House
The Soeda Family Residence Main House is not open to the public, so neither the alcove fixtures nor the double-height room can be seen. As of October 2026 no special opening had been announced.
Set at the back of the plot, the house is likely to show little more than part of its roof from the road. If it is visible, the giveaway is a tiled roof with ridges running both ways, north-south and east-west, where the T meets. Directions to the estate are on the Soeda Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Soeda Family Residence Main House
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Soeda Family Residence Main House built?
- In 1933. It was renovated in 2009 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2011.
- What is the layout of the Soeda Family Residence Main House?
- It is T-shaped: an east-west wing joins the middle of the east side of a north-south block. The block has two rooms at each end, with formal alcove fixtures in the northern rooms, and a 15-mat reception room lies to its east.
- What is special about the reception room in the Soeda Family Residence Main House?
- The 15-mat naka-zashiki is open to the roof as a double-height space, with no upper floor laid above it.
- Why is the Soeda Family Residence Main House a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 25 July 2011, together with the three storehouses on the estate, as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country.
- Can I visit the Soeda Family Residence Main House?
- No. The interior is not open and no public openings are announced. Please stay off the property and look only from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Soeda Family Residence Main House (添田家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 67 Hanukita, Kitayama, Ishikawa Town, Ishikawa County, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2011 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 117 m² |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no openings announced) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 添田家住宅主屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008617
- Cultural Heritage Online: 添田家住宅主屋
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/184118
- Ishikawa Town: List of Cultural Properties
- https://www.town.ishikawa.fukushima.jp/admin/hall/02/01/01/09.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
