What Is the Taketo Main House?
The Taketo Main House (竹藤主屋, Taketō Omoya) is a single-story timber dwelling of the early Meiji period (1868-1882) joined to the back of the Taketo Store at Taketo, a bamboo wholesaler's premises in Chuo 1-chome, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2019.
The Taketo Main House has a building area of 73 square meters and a metal sheet roof. It was registered as a building that serves as a model of its type; the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a plan typical of the region, finished with sukiya-style detailing.
Three Rooms in a Row
Running north from the shop, the Taketo Main House sets three rooms in a line: a guest room (kyakuma), a middle room (nakanoma) and a kitchen (katte), with a corridor along the east side and a courtyard beyond it. The Agency calls this the typical plan of the area, rooms strung back from the shop and served by a corridor down one side.
Taketo's website calls the long, narrow layout an unagi no nedoko, an "eel's bed," and presents it as the only town house of its kind left in Aizu. The guest room at the south end is the way in from the shop, and staff still pass through it.
Bark-Edged Posts and a Bamboo Lintel
Posts and the horizontal Nageshi rails of the Taketo Main House are cut from logs that keep their rounded corners (Menkawa-bashira). Across the Tokonoma alcove, the lintel is a length of bamboo, and the cupboard in the side bay (Tokowaki) has a kick board under its sill finished with naguri, a rippled tool-cut surface. The Agency groups these touches as sukiya-style detailing. In a bamboo wholesaler's house, the alcove is spanned by bamboo.
Dating and Restoration of the Taketo Main House
The Agency's database dates the Taketo Main House to the early Meiji period. Taketo's chronology says the shop and house were rebuilt after a fire in 1841, while the shop's restoration notes say the house is believed to date from the Edo period with part rebuilt after a fire in early Meiji. This page follows the Agency's early Meiji date.
For years the house served as living space and stockroom, used only a few times a year for pinwheel and kite workshops. With help from a crowdfunding campaign in October and November 2019 covering part of the cost, it was restored and reopened in May 2020 as Taketo Chaya, a café, and a small museum of merchant-house history.
Visiting the Taketo Main House
You can enter the Taketo Main House whenever Taketo Chaya is open: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. From January 1 to March 15 it closes at 3:00 p.m. and also on Sundays (checked October 2026). The corridor and courtyard serve as café seating.
According to the website, old documents and household tools are displayed with captions, and visitors may come just to see the museum. Photography and posting on social media are welcome, and groups using the café can ask for a guided explanation. On some days rooms are let for events or workshops. Directions and parking are on the Taketo page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Taketo Main House
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Taketo Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji period (1868-1882). Taketo's chronology gives a rebuilding in 1841, and the shop's notes say part was rebuilt after an early Meiji fire. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2019.
- What is the layout of the Taketo Main House?
- Three rooms in a line from the south, a guest room, a middle room and a kitchen, with a corridor on the east side and a courtyard beyond.
- What are the sukiya-style details in the Taketo Main House?
- Posts and rails cut from logs with rounded, bark-edged corners, a bamboo lintel over the alcove, and a tool-rippled kick board under the side cupboard.
- Can I visit the Taketo Main House, and when is it open?
- Yes, as Taketo Chaya and the merchant-house museum: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from January 1 to March 15 until 3:00 p.m. with Sundays also closed (checked October 2026).
- Is photography allowed in the Taketo Main House?
- The website says photography and posting on social media are welcome in the museum, and visitors may come just to look.
Basic Information
| Name | Taketo Main House (竹藤主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 69 Chuo 1-chome, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 73 m² |
| Owner | Not listed (the owner field in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database is blank) |
| Public Access | Open as Taketo Chaya and a merchant-house museum (11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed Wednesdays and Thursdays) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Taketo Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013028
- Taketo / Taketo Chaya: About Taketo (Japanese)
- https://www.taketou.net/pages/2608868/page_201902151038
- Taketo / Taketo Chaya: History of Taketo (Japanese)
- https://www.taketou.net/pages/2608880/page_201902151049
- Taketo / Taketo Chaya: Restoration Project (to 2019, Japanese)
- https://www.taketou.net/pages/2608888/page_201902151054
- Taketo / Taketo Chaya: Merchant House History Museum (Japanese)
- https://www.taketou.net/pages/2608939/page_201902151116
- Taketo / Taketo Chaya: Room Rental and Shelf Rental (Japanese)
- https://www.taketou.net/pages/2608876/page_201902151046
- Taketo / Taketo Chaya: Access and Contact (Japanese)
- https://www.taketou.net/pages/2608950/page_201902151121
Last verified: 2026.10.07
