Juushichiya Footwear Store and Residence

Jushichiya Footwear Shop: A Pioneer of Kanban Architecture in Ishioka

Standing proudly along the Nakamachi-dori street in Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, the Jushichiya Hakimonoten (十七屋履物店) is a remarkable two-story wooden commercial building that has witnessed nearly a century of history. Registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property, this former footwear shop exemplifies the distinctive "kanban kenchiku" (signboard architecture) style that transformed the streetscape of Ishioka following a devastating fire in 1929. As the very first building reconstructed in the district after that disaster, it holds a special place in the history of early Showa-era commercial architecture in Japan.

Historical Background: The Great Fire of 1929 and Ishioka's Rebirth

Ishioka City has a rich history as the former provincial capital (kokufu) of Hitachi Province, and its central district along the old Mito Kaido highway was long a thriving commercial area. In 1929 (Showa 4), a great fire swept through the town center, destroying numerous buildings and devastating the local community.

In the aftermath of this disaster, merchants along the Nakamachi-dori street rebuilt their shops using a new architectural approach: kanban kenchiku, or signboard architecture. This style, which had gained popularity in Tokyo after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, featured flat facades coated with fire-resistant materials such as mortar, copper sheeting, or tiles. These facades served both as fireproofing and as striking decorative "signboards" for the businesses behind them.

The Jushichiya Footwear Shop was the very first building in the district to be reconstructed after the 1929 fire, completed in 1930 (Showa 5). It thus became the pioneer of kanban architecture in the area, setting the template that neighboring shops would follow in the years to come.

Why It Was Registered as a Cultural Property

The Jushichiya Footwear Shop was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 19, 2003. Its cultural significance lies in several factors. First, it is a prime example of the commercial architecture that flourished during the early Showa period, demonstrating the creative ways in which local merchants blended Western decorative motifs with traditional Japanese wooden construction. Second, as the first building reconstructed after the 1929 fire, it played a pioneering role in establishing the kanban architectural style that now defines the Nakamachi-dori streetscape. Third, together with the other registered cultural properties along the same street, it forms a cohesive historic townscape that is increasingly rare in modern Japan.

Architectural Highlights and Things to See

The building is a two-story wooden structure with a slate roof and a building area of 135 square meters. Its frontage spans approximately 4.5 ken (about 8 meters) and its depth extends 11.5 ken (about 21 meters), reflecting the typical elongated lot shape of traditional Japanese merchant houses.

The most striking feature is the elaborate facade of the second floor. At its center stands a pilaster rising from a console-style (bracket-like) capital ornament, flanked symmetrically by tall, narrow windows arranged in vertical rows on either side. Below the roofline, the facade is adorned with a Lombardy band — a decorative motif of small arches inspired by Romanesque architecture, a rare and sophisticated touch for a small-town Japanese shop of this era.

The ground floor originally featured a product display shelf on the right side of the storefront, where traditional Japanese footwear such as geta (wooden clogs) and zori (sandals) were showcased. The distinctive color scheme of the facade — an ochre base with green lettering reading "Jushichiya Shoten" framed in brown — creates a bold, eye-catching appearance that remains striking to this day.

Exploring the Kanban Architecture District of Ishioka

The Jushichiya Footwear Shop is just one of eleven registered tangible cultural properties clustered along the Nakamachi-dori street and its surroundings. Visitors can enjoy a leisurely walking tour of these buildings, each with its own distinctive character. Highlights include the Hisamatsu Shoten (cosmetics and sundries shop) next door, with its German clapboard siding; the Sugaya Cosmetics Shop with its triangular pediment; the Kissaten Shiki (Café Four Seasons) featuring Corinthian-style column capitals; and the Chojiya, a late Edo-period dye shop that miraculously survived the 1929 fire.

Maps for the heritage walking trail are available at the tourist information office near Ishioka Station. The Chojiya building now serves as a community cultural facility called "Machikura Ai," where visitors can learn about the district's history and enjoy refreshments.

Nearby Attractions

Ishioka offers much more beyond its kanban architecture. The city is famous for the Ishioka Festival (Ishioka no Omatsuri), one of the three great festivals of the Kanto region, held every September at the Hitachi Soja Shrine. The Yasato area to the west features beautiful rural scenery at the foot of Mount Tsukuba, with fruit orchards, hot springs at Yasato Onsen Yuri-no-Sato, and the Ibaraki Flower Park. History enthusiasts will appreciate the remains of the ancient Hitachi Kokufu provincial government site, reflecting Ishioka's long heritage as a regional center.