Former Fujino Family Residence (from Ide, Esashi City, Iwate Prefecture)

What Is the Former Fujino Family Residence?

The Former Fujino Family Residence (旧藤野家住宅, Kyū-Fujino-ke Jūtaku) is a late-Edo-period farmhouse of the straight sugoya type, relocated to the grounds of Iwate Prefectural Museum in Ueda, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, and designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan on 31 May 1978. Its official name, Former Fujino Family Residence (from Ide, Esashi City, Iwate Prefecture), records its original site in the hills of Ide, in the former city of Esashi, now part of Oshu.

The national database gives its size as 14.9 m by 8.9 m, under a thatched roof (Kayabuki) whose two ends differ: the north end is in the hip-and-gable irimoya style, the south end is a plain hip (Yosemune-zukuri). It is a single building owned by Iwate Prefecture, and was rebuilt at Iwate Prefectural Museum as an outdoor exhibit in 1980.

Why the Former Fujino Family Residence Is an Important Cultural Property

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Fujino house as a sugoya farmhouse of the former Sendai domain. Its raised-floor rooms follow a staggered four-room plan, the building has seen few alterations, and its original state can be clearly read. The agency also calls it an important example for understanding how the structural system of a core frame (jōya) wrapped in lean-to aisles (Geya) developed.

A sugoya gathers the household into a single rectangular block. Iwate Prefectural Museum explains that in the former Sendai domain the stable stood in a separate building. That sets the Fujino house apart from the Former Sasaki Family Residence nearby, an L-shaped Nanbu magariya with the stable built in. The plain rectangle of the Fujino house reflects a way of life that kept people and horses apart.

In a staggered four-room plan, the partitions dividing the front rooms from the back rooms do not line up, but jog partway across the house. The agency's comment that the original state "can be clearly read" refers to this plan surviving intact. The national database dates the house to the first half of the 19th century; the museum places it in the late Edo period.

What to See at the Fujino House

Start by walking around the roof. The museum calls its shape distinctive, and the reason is that only one end is irimoya. At the north end, a small triangular gable opens near the top of the thatch; at the south end, the roof slopes down on all four sides. The contrast between the two ends is the quickest way to recognise the Fujino house.

Then look along the long side. The thatch runs straight for 14.9 m with no projecting wing anywhere. Compared with the bent roof of the Sasaki house, the difference between the two types is clear at a glance.

If you can go inside, look at how the posts are arranged. What the agency values is the relationship between the inner posts carrying the core frame and the outer posts of the lean-to aisles. Look for the jog in the room partitions too, and the staggered plan makes sense.

Visiting the Former Fujino Family Residence

The Former Fujino Family Residence stands in the outdoor exhibit area of Iwate Prefectural Museum and can be seen on any day the museum is open, 9:30–16:30 (last entry 16:00). Official information does not say how far visitors may go inside, so ask at reception. The museum notes that floor levels change often indoors and that fires are lit in the hearth to protect the building.

The Fujino house is also lent for events such as tea gatherings and concerts, and while it is in use you may only be able to view it from outside. The museum allows still photography for personal use inside its main building without permission; check the rule for the farmhouse interior on site. Opening days, admission and directions are on the Iwate Prefectural Museum page.