What Is the Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building?
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building (旧藤森家住宅本館, Kyū Fujimori-ke Jūtaku Honkan) is the principal house of a physician's estate in Funabashi-cho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, designed by the architect Ebihara Ichirō, built in 1940 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2022.
It is a timber house of two storeys with a single-storey section, a tiled roof and mortar-rendered walls, covering 232 m². Of the eight buildings on the estate it is by far the largest, and it was the centrepiece when the ear, nose and throat specialist Fujimori Shinji completed his home here in 1940.
Why the Main Building Was Registered
The Main Building was registered as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to two sides of it. Around the tatami reception rooms, the materials and joinery follow a refined sukiya manner, the relaxed, tea-house-derived branch of Japanese domestic architecture.
Elsewhere the hand of a trained architect shows: an entrance porch paved in teppei-ishi, a split slate-like andesite; a fondness for straight lines; and a Western-style reception room lit by a continuous horizontal band of windows. What makes the Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building worth seeing is how comfortably these two vocabularies sit together under one roof.
What to Look For
Start at the porch, where irregular slabs of teppei-ishi are laid underfoot. The caretakers explain that the walls are finished in mortar mixed with gravel and washed to expose the stones, and that posts and handrails keep the scalloped marks of a chōna adze on purpose.
The reception room is the only Western room in the house. Its windows run in a continuous strip; the parquet floor is made of mixed woods; and what looks like a fireplace is a town-gas stove, which is why there is no chimney. Adze-marked beams cross the ceiling, a Japanese craft detail inside a Western room.
The ground-floor tatami room breaks the formal Shoin-zukuri rules: a post left with its red-pine skin, a tatami-floored alcove, a shelf cut from a single board. Verandas wrap the south and east sides, and the south-east corner has no post at all; the caretakers note that large crossing beams above the ceiling carry the load instead. Upstairs the reception room reverses the mood, with a formal alcove and staggered shelves.
Seeing the Main Building
The Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building can only be seen on public opening days. At other times the gate is closed, and the house stands too far back from the street to be seen properly from outside.
The official photographs are taken from the west, the side that shows the porch and the long run of windows best. Neither the city nor the caretakers say which rooms visitors may enter or if photography is allowed, so ask the volunteers on the day. Opening dates and directions are on the Former Fujimori Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- Who designed the Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building?
- The architect Ebihara Ichirō, as recorded in the national cultural properties database.
- When was the Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building built?
- In 1940, when the physician Fujimori Shinji completed his home on the site.
- How large is the Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building?
- It is a timber house of two storeys with a single-storey section, tiled and rendered in mortar, with a building area of 232 m².
- What should I look for at the Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building?
- The slate-paved entrance porch, the Western reception room with its strip windows and gas-stove fireplace, and the sukiya-style tatami rooms.
- Can I go inside the Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building?
- Yes, on public opening days: the 2nd Sunday of each month, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Ask on the day which rooms are open and if photos are allowed.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Fujimori Family Residence Main Building (旧藤森家住宅本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2 Funabashicho 3-chome, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2022 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 232 m² |
| Owner | Himeji City |
| Public Access | Open to the public on the 2nd Sunday of each month, 10 a.m. to 12 noon (may close in bad weather) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 旧藤森家住宅本館
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014275
- Cultural Heritage Online: 旧藤森家住宅本館
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/555285
- Kyū Fujimori-ke Jūtaku o Mamoru Kai: Former Fujimori Family Residence
- https://sites.google.com/view/https-fujimori-publich-hp
- Himeji City: Public Opening of the Former Fujimori Family Residence
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/kanko/0000030546.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
