Harukiya Clothing Store (formerly Harukiya Shoten Clothing

Harukiya Clothing Store: A Taisho-Era Western-Style Gem in Nanao

Standing along the historic Ipponsugi-dori shopping street in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, the Harukiya Clothing Store (formally known as the former Harukiya Shoten Western Clothing Department) is a striking example of early 20th-century Western-influenced commercial architecture in the Noto Peninsula region. Built in 1921 during the Taisho period, this two-story wooden building served as the Western clothing division of the long-established Harukiya kimono merchant house, embodying the era's enthusiasm for blending Japanese craftsmanship with Western aesthetics.

Registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in October 2014, this charming building represents the commercial vitality and cultural openness that characterized Nanao as a thriving port town during the Taisho era. Its refined Western-style façade stands as a testament to the town's prosperous mercantile history along the old Uchiura Highway, one of the key routes connecting Nanao to the outer reaches of the Noto Peninsula.

Historical Background

The Harukiya Clothing Store was constructed in 1921 as an annex to the established Harukiya kimono shop, a business owned by the Harukiya Limited Partnership (Gōmei Kaisha Harukiya). During the Taisho period (1912–1926), Japan experienced a wave of modernization and Westernization, and traditional kimono merchants across the country began adding Western clothing departments to meet the growing demand for Western-style fashion. The Harukiya family responded to this cultural shift by commissioning a purpose-built Western-style structure to house their new clothing line.

The building was designed with a clear functional division: the ground floor served as the retail shop where customers could browse and purchase Western garments, while the second floor housed the tailoring and sewing workshop where skilled craftspeople fashioned garments to order. This practical arrangement reflected the emerging business model of the era, combining retail display with on-site production.

In 1956, the building underwent renovations, but it retained its essential Taisho-period character and Western architectural features. For decades, it continued to serve as a clothing store, becoming a beloved landmark on Ipponsugi-dori, the historic commercial street that has served as the mercantile heart of Nanao for over 600 years.

The building suffered severe damage during the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, which struck on January 1, 2024, registering a seismic intensity of over 6 in Nanao City. The earthquake caused significant destruction to many historic buildings along Ipponsugi-dori and throughout the Noto region. The Harukiya Clothing Store was among the registered cultural properties that sustained heavy damage, highlighting the ongoing vulnerability of Japan's architectural heritage to natural disasters.

Why It Was Designated as a Cultural Property

The Harukiya Clothing Store was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on October 7, 2014. The designation recognized several aspects of the building's architectural and historical significance.

The building's exterior is finished in mortar plaster and features pilaster-like columns at both corners, with cornices running along the top and at the waist level of the façade. The second floor is adorned with a row of semi-circular arched windows, creating an elegant and refined Western appearance. These design elements demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of Western architectural vocabulary, applied with care and proportion to a modest commercial building in a regional Japanese town.

As a tangible record of the Taisho period's cultural transformation—when traditional Japanese merchants embraced Western commerce and aesthetics—the building holds important historical value. It illustrates how Western architectural styles were adapted and localized in the commercial districts of provincial port towns like Nanao, far from the major metropolitan centers of Tokyo and Osaka.

Architectural Highlights and Points of Interest

The Harukiya Clothing Store is a two-story wooden building with a tiled roof, covering a building area of approximately 66 square meters. Despite its relatively compact size, the building packs considerable architectural interest into its façade.

The most distinctive feature is the row of semi-circular arched windows on the second floor, which lend the building a graceful, almost European appearance. These arched openings were a popular motif in Taisho-era Western-style architecture, evoking the Romanesque and Renaissance traditions that Japanese architects and builders were studying at the time.

The mortar-plastered exterior, combined with the corner pilasters and horizontal cornices, creates a composition that is both dignified and approachable—fitting for a commercial building that needed to attract customers while conveying a sense of modernity and quality. The careful articulation of these elements shows that the building's designer, though working on a small scale, was well-versed in Western classical architectural principles.

The building's location facing the old Uchiura Highway adds to its historical atmosphere. This ancient road connected Nanao to the communities along the inner coast of the Noto Peninsula and was a vital commercial route for centuries. The Harukiya building, positioned along this thoroughfare, would have been one of the first Western-style structures that travelers encountered as they entered the town's commercial district.

Ipponsugi-dori: The Historic Street

The Harukiya Clothing Store is located on Ipponsugi-dori, one of the most historically significant commercial streets in the Noto region. This roughly 450-meter-long avenue stretches westward from the Sentai Bridge over the Misogi River and has been a center of commerce and community life for more than 600 years.

The street takes its name from a single cedar tree (ippon sugi) that once stood along the highway leading to the outer Noto Peninsula, serving as a landmark for travelers. Today, Ipponsugi-dori is home to around 50 shops, including several other buildings registered as National Tangible Cultural Properties. Among these are the Torii Soy Sauce Shop, a Meiji-era building famous for its artisanal soy sauce, and various traditional craft shops.

One of the unique features of Ipponsugi-dori is its "Kataribe" (storyteller) tradition, where local shopkeepers serve as guides and narrators of the street's history, sharing stories about their businesses, the community, and the cultural traditions of Nanao. Visitors can enjoy hands-on experiences such as matcha grinding, Wajima lacquerware decoration, pressed flower art, and soy sauce squeezing.

Each spring, the street hosts the Hanayome Noren Exhibition, a display of beautifully painted bridal curtains (noren) that are part of a wedding tradition unique to the Kaga domain region. The nearby Hanayome Noren Museum offers year-round exhibits about this distinctive custom.

Visitor Information

The Harukiya Clothing Store is located in the Hinomono-machi district of Nanao City, within walking distance of JR Nanao Station. Ipponsugi-dori, where the building stands, is accessible by a five-minute walk from the station. From the station, walk along the Misogi River toward the sea and cross the distinctive red-railed Sentai Bridge to reach the entrance of the street.

Please note that the building sustained significant damage during the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Visitors are advised to check the latest local information regarding the building's condition and accessibility before planning a visit. The broader Ipponsugi-dori area has been undergoing recovery efforts, with many shops reopening in temporary or rebuilt locations.

Nanao City is accessible by JR trains from Kanazawa (approximately 1.5 to 2 hours via the JR Nanao Line). For those driving, the Noto Satoyama Kaido expressway connects Kanazawa to the Nanao area. The city also serves as a gateway to the Wakura Onsen hot spring resort and Noto Island.

Surrounding Attractions

Nanao City and the surrounding Noto Peninsula offer a wealth of cultural and natural attractions for visitors to explore alongside the heritage sites of Ipponsugi-dori.

• Hanayome Noren Museum — Located on Ipponsugi-dori, this museum showcases the unique bridal noren curtain tradition of the region. Visitors can even try on traditional wedding attire for a memorable photo opportunity.
• Komatsu-machi and Nanao Castle Ruins — The hilltop ruins of Nanao Castle, once the stronghold of the Hatakeyama clan, offer panoramic views of the city and Nanao Bay. The adjacent Komaru-yama Park is a popular spot for cherry blossom viewing.
• Wakura Onsen — One of Ishikawa Prefecture's most famous hot spring resorts, located on the shores of Nanao Bay, offering luxurious ryokan accommodations and scenic ocean views.
• Noto Island (Notojima) — Connected to the mainland by bridge, this island features the Notojima Glass Art Museum, Notojima Aquarium, and beautiful coastal scenery.
• Noto Food Festival Market (Shokusai Ichiba) — A waterfront market near Nanao Station where visitors can enjoy fresh seafood and local specialties from the Noto region.