A Shop and Dwelling in One, Registered in 2014
Asai Gun and Ammunition Store and Main Building (浅井銃砲火薬店店舗兼主屋) stands at 1196 Nishimachi, Funatsu, Kamioka-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties on 25 April 2014. The quantity is one building: timber and earth-walled construction, two storeys, tiled roof, with a footprint of 270 square metres.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the date as early Showa, 1926 to 1945. The record spans twenty years, so the year of building is not narrowed down. Between 1926 and 1945 the country changed a great deal.
The Agency's assessment comes in its closing line: a shop and dwelling in one, of fine Japanese and Western design. That the building serves as both shop and house is recorded in the name as well as the entry.
A Townhouse Front with a Western Room to the Right
The Agency describes the building in order.
It faces west onto the street, its front carrying the elevation of a two-storey townhouse, with a reception room attached to the right, rendered in mortar and Western in design both inside and out.
The front itself is that of a townhouse. Only to the right is a Western reception room added, rendered in mortar and treated in Western manner within as well as without.
Inside and out is the phrase that matters. Many buildings of the period carry a Western face over a Japanese interior; here the Western treatment goes through.
Facing west onto the street means the sun falls behind the building in the morning and on its front in the afternoon. It is on this west front that the townhouse elevation and the Western room stand side by side.
Rooms Running Back from the Entrance
The arrangement from front to back is recorded too.
Behind the entrance the living rooms run in a line, with a two-storey internal storehouse at the far end. This is the townhouse pattern of a narrow frontage running deep, though at 270 square metres the building is large for a townhouse.
An internal storehouse is a storehouse built within the body of the house. Here it is two storeys and stands at the deepest point. Given that this was a shop dealing in firearms and powder, the placing and construction of a storehouse are unlikely to be incidental, but the Agency records no use for it.
Behind the reception room, a guest parlour of careful workmanship adjoins, facing the front garden.
A Western reception room and a Japanese guest parlour thus stand one behind the other. There are two rooms for receiving visitors, each built in a different manner.
Three Entries for One Shop
The Agency's database carries three entries relating to this shop.
The shop and main building, the storehouse, and the wall are each recorded separately.
What this article covers is the shop and main building, one structure. The storehouse and the wall are not included.
Registration is a separate mechanism from designation: it works by notification and leaves the owner wide freedom to keep using the building. Registering structures on one plot building by building follows from that framework.
The Agency's owner field is blank, which suggests private ownership.
Visiting
The Agency records nothing about public access. Registered properties are often buildings their owners go on using, and opening the interior is not assumed.
With the owner field blank as well, this may be somewhere people live or trade. Check with Hida City or a similar source about whether it is open before planning a visit.
The exterior can be seen from the street. The two-storey townhouse elevation and the mortar-rendered reception room to its right stand together on the west front.
The building is at 1196 Nishimachi, Funatsu, Kamioka-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture.
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Q&A
- When was the building registered?
- On 25 April 2014, on the national register of tangible cultural properties, as one building of timber and earth-walled construction, two storeys, tiled, with a footprint of 270 square metres.
- When was it built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the date as early Showa, 1926 to 1945. The record spans twenty years, so the year of building is not narrowed down.
- How is the building arranged?
- The Agency records that it faces west onto the street, its front carrying the elevation of a two-storey townhouse, with a reception room attached to the right, rendered in mortar and Western in design both inside and out. The front itself is that of a townhouse.
- What lies behind?
- Living rooms run in a line behind the entrance to a two-storey internal storehouse at the far end, and a guest parlour of careful workmanship adjoins behind the reception room, facing the front garden. A Western reception room and a Japanese guest parlour stand one behind the other.
- Can it be visited?
- The Agency records nothing about public access and leaves the owner field blank. Registered properties are often still in use by their owners, and opening the interior is not assumed. Check locally before planning a visit; the exterior can be seen from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Asai Gun and Ammunition Store and Main Building (浅井銃砲火薬店店舗兼主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1196 Nishimachi, Funatsu, Kamioka-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); the storehouse and the wall of the same shop are separate properties |
| Year Designated | 2014 (25 April), registered |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber and earth-walled construction, 2 storeys, tiled roof, footprint 270 square metres. Facing west onto the street, the front carries the elevation of a 2-storey townhouse with a mortar-rendered reception room to the right, Western in design inside and out. Living rooms run back from the entrance to a 2-storey internal storehouse, and a guest parlour adjoins behind the reception room facing the front garden. Built between 1926 and 1945 |
| Owner | The Agency's owner field is blank |
| Public Access | Nothing is recorded about public access. The exterior can be seen from the street |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online: Asai Gun and Ammunition Store and Main Building
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/260422
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: the same building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009955
- Hida City: Kamioka Lab
- https://www.city.hida.gifu.jp/site/kamiokalab/11761.html
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: the registration system for tangible cultural properties
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/
Last verified: 2026.09.04