Former Koketsu Family Residence (Kominka Aiseki) Well

Former Koketsu Family Residence Well

The Former Koketsu Family Residence (Kominka Aiseki) Well (旧纐纈家住宅（古民家あいせき）井戸) in Honmachi 7-chome, Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, is a stone well of the mid-Meiji period (1883–1897), and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 6, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records an area of 0.8 square metres and registration number 21-0309. The Agency's database gives the reading of the name as ending in idoyakata, a well house, while Gifu Prefecture reads it simply as ido, well, which matches the registered name.

It lies in the courtyard to the north of the shop and main house, toward the courtyard's southern side and so close to the house (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

A Curb of Four Granite Slabs

The curb of the Koketsu well is 0.9 metres square and 40 centimetres high, made of four cut slabs of granite, each 15 centimetres thick, fitted together with great precision; the shaft is 7 metres deep (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Gifu Prefecture likewise gives a depth of about 7 metres.

At 40 centimetres the curb sits well below waist height, a plain box in which each slab forms one side. With so little else to look at, the accuracy of the joints between the stones is what carries the design.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Former Koketsu Family Residence (Kominka Aiseki) Well as a registered tangible cultural property for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country, describing it as the well that shapes the scene of the courtyard. Gifu Prefecture makes the same point.

According to tradition it was used only for the tea room (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The tea room itself was built in 1927, so the well, dated to the mid-Meiji period, is the older of the two.

What to Look For

At the Koketsu well, look at the corners where the cut slabs meet. The Agency stresses how precisely the four 15-centimetre slabs were fitted, and the joints are where that work shows.

The corridor between the shop and main house and the tea room is open on its courtyard side, so the well can be seen as you walk along it.

Visiting

The courtyard of the Former Koketsu Family Residence (Kominka Aiseki) Well appears in Seki City's floor guide to Kominka Aiseki. The building is free to enter during opening hours, and the well can be seen from the corridor.

No official information was found on whether visitors may step down into the courtyard. Do not sit on or lean over the stone curb, and ask the staff if you would like a closer look. There is no official guidance on photography either.