Hikoso Machiya

A Kanazawa House of About 1931

The Hikoso Machiya (彦三町家) is a modern Japanese-style house of about 1931 in Yasue-cho, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 2, 2018 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a two-storey timber house of 78 square metres with a tiled roof, together with its gateposts and wall, renovated in 2015; registration number 17-0283.

A House in the Azumadachi Tradition

The house stands back from the street in a residential area in the centre of Kanazawa (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It faces north across a front garden enclosed by a concrete gate and wall. It is two storeys, gabled and entered at the gable end, with the kitchen projecting at the east end of the front, living rooms below and a guest room above.

According to Ishikawa Prefecture, the Kanazawa Machiya Research Association received it as a gift from its previous owner in 2015 and uses it as an office. The name comes from the old Hikoso district where it stands.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency describes it as a modern Japanese-style house that follows traditional forms, such as the azumadachi gable. Ishikawa Prefecture notes how well it preserves Kanazawa's traditional style.

What to Look For

Look for the azumadachi gable with its exposed posts, beams and tie-beams (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Ishikawa Prefecture). Ishikawa Prefecture notes that the guest rooms, though plain in their fittings, are brightened by blue and green walls.

Visiting

The Kanazawa Machiya Research Association uses it as an office (Ishikawa Prefecture). No official information on interior access was found. The exterior can be seen from the street.