Meiji

The No. 5 Storehouse at the Ninomiya Residence in Seiro, built in 1908, ends a row of four vaults. Its lattice base and plaster shutters set the line's rhythm.

The Miscellaneous Storehouse at the Ninomiya Residence in Seiro, built in 1875, is a small vault near the grounds' western edge, its planks framing the rear garden.

The No. 3 Storehouse at the Ninomiya Residence in Seiro, built in 1901, is a two-story vault. A lattice base and a plaster crest at the gable mark a careful granary.

Known as Igan-tei, this 1909 guest wing of a great Joetsu landholding family turns on its deep-eaved earthen veranda. Registered in 2024; open two weekends a year.

An 1882 three-story plastered storehouse in Nagaoka's brewing quarter, its Taisho top floor framed with a Western king-post truss. Registered in 2013, still in use.

A middle Meiji earthen storehouse in Nagaoka's Settaya brewing quarter, registered in 2013. Black plaster picks out its cornice, and miso still ferments inside.

Northeast of the main house, this simple gabled shelter of 1885 covered a well used for daily washing; a glimpse of estate life, it now works as a tea cafe.

A two-story kura of 1887 on the estate's west side, linked by corridor to the main house, with white-plastered walls, kannon doors and a partitioned interior.

South of the main house, this 1889 reception hall opens onto a 32-mat room and a long veranda facing the strolling garden, famous for its autumn colour.

North of the main house, this 1883 building was raised to mill timber for the estate itself; 18 metres long under a gabled roof, it now serves as the shop.

A study and tea room of 1891 designed by the head Ito Bunkichi himself, on a triangular plan nine metres a side, with rooms and timber members cut to match.

Northwest of the main house, this 1901 storehouse was once a rice store and now the museum's gallery, with a cut-stone plinth, namako walls and a trussed roof.

The residential core of the former Ito estate, completed in 1887 and now the heart of the Northern Culture Museum, with a 30-metre Aizu cedar beam overhead.

At the quiet western rear of the estate, this sukiya-influenced parlor of 1889 uses fine timber and soft sand-plaster walls, a gentler note than the main house.

At the estate's northern edge, this 1883 workshop, where carpenters built and repaired the buildings, is a rare surviving construction facility with tall posts.

Rebuilt in 1886 after an earthquake felled its predecessor, the bell tower of Honkoji on Sado Island is a one-bay open frame of just 6.5 square metres.

Discover the Omote Genkan of Honjō-ji in Sanjō, Niigata — a registered tangible cultural property. Built around 1895, this ceremonial entrance with its triple-pendant karahafu gable links the temple's main halls and reflects Meiji-era craftsmanship in a centuries-old Hokke-shū sanctuary.

The Kyakuden (Guest Hall) of Honjoji Temple, the head temple of the Hokke-shū Jinmon-ryū sect in Sanjo City, Niigata, is a grand single-story wooden structure built in 1895. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2021, it is celebrated for its expansive open interior and elegant hip-and-gable roof, exemplifying the finest Meiji-era temple architecture.

The Kuri (Kitchen Hall) of Honjo-ji Temple in Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture, is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property rebuilt in 1895. This imposing 567-square-meter wooden structure serves as the domestic and administrative heart of the head temple of the Hokke-shu Jinmon-ryu Buddhist sect. Its central hearth room features the remarkable "married couple pillars," salvaged and re-hewn from the former main hall destroyed by fire. The temple is also renowned for its connection to master sculptor Ishikawa Uncho and its spectacular Setsubun Oni Odori demon dance.

The Daishoin at Honjo-ji Temple in Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture, is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property built around 1899. This elegant reception hall features refined tatami rooms with snow-country design adaptations, connected to the Guest Hall by a distinctive drum bridge. The temple is also renowned for its association with sculptor Ishikawa Uncho and its spectacular Setsubun demon dance.