A large farmhouse in a Hida mountain village
The Main House of the Hanada-Imai Family Residence stands in Mimayano, a farming settlement in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, in what was historically southern Hida. Its oldest parts date to 1829, the twelfth year of the Bunsei era, which places the house firmly in the late Edo period.
The building is timber-framed and two storeys high, roofed in pantiles over a gabled form, and it runs about sixteen metres along its front. A house on this scale marked a family of standing in the village. Its plan keeps the old regional pattern: an earthen-floored work area, the doma, toward the right of the front, and raised, matted living rooms to the left.
A house that absorbed each era
What distinguishes this building is how openly it records change. In the modern period the doma side was rebuilt as a Western-style medical clinic, so a single frontage now carries the plain joinery of a working farmhouse next to the different proportions of an early surgery.
Upstairs, the second floor was opened into one broad room, thought to have been used for raising silkworms. In mountain villages with little flat land, sericulture was a common way to supplement farming income. Registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in November 2016, the house was recognised for its contribution to the historic character of the landscape.
Japan's registration system, introduced in 1996, gives a lighter form of protection than the older designation of Important Cultural Properties. It was created to keep the large stock of modern buildings from disappearing before their value is understood, and it suits a house like this one, valued for continuity rather than singular grandeur.
Reading the house from the lane
Seen from the road, the Main House rewards a slow look. The seam between the farmhouse and the former clinic can be traced in the wall surfaces and the rhythm of the windows, a plain record of one family adapting a single roof to farming, medicine and silk over more than a century.
The house is still a private residence, so the interior is not generally open. The scale of the frontage and the layering of periods can be appreciated from the public lane. Anyone planning a visit should confirm access with Gero City and treat the building with the courtesy owed to a lived-in home.
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Q&A
- When was the Main House built?
- The oldest parts date to 1829 (Bunsei 12). An extension was added in 1949 and the house was renovated in 1969.
- Is it a designated Important Cultural Property?
- No. It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, listed in 2016 under the lighter registration system rather than the stricter designation.
- Why was part of the house a clinic?
- In the modern period the earthen-floor (doma) side was rebuilt as a Western-style medical clinic, so the frontage mixes farmhouse and clinic detailing.
- What was the upper floor used for?
- The second floor was opened into one large room, thought to have been used for raising silkworms.
- Can I go inside?
- It is a private home and not generally open to visitors. The exterior can be seen from the public lane. Please check with Gero City for any arrangements.
Basic Information
| Name | Hanada-Imai Family Residence Main House (花田今井家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 149-1 Hanadagaito, Mimayano, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Registered | 29 November 2016 (registration no. 21-0245) |
| Count / scale | 1 building; frontage about 16 m; floor area 310 m² |
| Structure | Timber, two storeys, tiled gable roof |
| Date | Bunsei 12 (1829); extended 1949; renovated 1969 |
| Public access | Private residence; exterior viewable from the public road. Confirm details with Gero City. |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online — Hanada-Imai Family Residence Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/243928
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database — Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011311
- Gifu Prefecture, Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings)
- https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/page/12417.html
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/toroku_yukei.html
Last verified: 2026.07.07