A Two-Storey Western-Style House
Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall (福山市福寿会館, Fukuyama-shi Fukuju Kaikan) is a two-storey timber Western-style house of about 1935 to 1937 in Marunouchi, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 15 July 1997.
The registered name matches the whole estate, but the listing covers only this house, attached to the Japanese-style main building, under registration number 34-0008. It was the first of the six buildings on the site to be registered; the other five followed 15 years later.
The house covers 138 square metres under a tiled roof. It was part of a private villa: guests were received in the Japanese wing, and this Western annex looked out over the garden.
Why It Was Registered
Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall was listed under the criterion of serving as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes the steep roof and mortar-rendered walls, which give the house a tall silhouette typical of Western-style homes of the early Showa era, and singles out the relief ornament at the centre of the garden-side gable and the arched decoration above the windows.
Its five neighbours were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape; this house was registered for its design. It shows what a provincial businessman of the early Showa era chose to pair with a traditional Japanese residence.
What to Look For
A steep gable facing the garden
Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall has a steep tiled gable roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) over mortar walls. The city highlights false window surrounds in a Venetian Renaissance manner and decorative pilasters. On the garden side, relief work gathers at the centre of the triangular gable, and arched ornaments cap the windows.
View it from the garden. Standing near the pond and looking up, you can see how the pitch of the roof makes the house look taller than it is. Set it beside the long, low roofs of the main building next door and the contrast between the two styles, built at the same time for the same owner, is plain.
A house that became a café
The ground floor is now a café overlooking the garden, and the upper floor is a multipurpose room for hire. Built as part of a home, then used as part of a wedding hall after the city took over the estate, the house is still in daily use.
Visiting
The ground floor of Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall operates as the Fukuju Kaikan Terrace Café, so you can go inside as a customer. Its days and hours may not match the hall's, so check the café's own listings first. The upstairs room is rented out and closed when booked.
Ask the café about photography inside it, and the hall office about other areas. For the exterior, stand near the pond and look up at the garden-side gable.
Directions, opening hours and closing days for the estate as a whole are on the Fukuju Hall page.
Q&A
- When was Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall built?
- The national database dates the Western-style house to about 1935 to 1937.
- Does the name Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall refer to the whole estate?
- Not in the national register. There, Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall is the Western-style house alone, registered on 15 July 1997; the main building and four others are listed under separate names.
- Can you go inside Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall?
- Yes, the ground floor is a café open to customers. The upper floor is a rental room; ask at the office whether it is free.
- What should you look at on Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall?
- The steep tiled gable, the relief ornament at the centre of the garden-side gable and the arched decoration above the windows, best seen from near the pond.
- How big is Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall?
- It is a two-storey timber house with a building area of 138 square metres under a tiled roof.
Basic Information
| Name | Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall (福山市福寿会館; Western-style house) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1-1 Marunouchi, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1997/7/15 (Heisei 9) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 138 square metres; 2 storeys, timber |
| Owner | Fukuyama City |
| Public Access | Ground floor operates as a café; upper floor is a rental room. Café customers can go inside |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000264
- Cultural Heritage Online: Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/113144
- Fukuyama City: Fukuju Kaikan Western-style house (Japanese)
- https://www.city.fukuyama.hiroshima.jp/site/fukuju/15914.html
- Fukuyama Cultural Properties Navi (Fukuyama City): Fukuyama City Fukuju Hall and five other buildings
- https://fukubun.net/ja/collection/680
- Fukuyama Castle Museum: Fukuju Kaikan (Japanese)
- https://fukuyamajo.jp/miru/fukujyu/
- Hiroshima Prefecture: Hiroshima Tatemonogatari, Fukuju Kaikan (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp/soshiki_file/tatemonogatari/page038.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
