The House That Carries the Name
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Main House (帆足家本家住宅（富春館）主屋) is a timber house of 1865 in Nakahetsugi, Oita City, Oita Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.
This is the building the name Fushunkan originally belonged to, the heart of the Hoashi head family's home. It measures 13 by 7 bays and covers 342 square metres, two storeys for the most part with a single-storey section, under a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. It stands near the middle of the plot facing south, the first thing you see through the front gate.
The date needs a word. The Agency for Cultural Affairs and Oita City both give Keiō 1, which is 1865. The family's website and the city tourist association print 1863 beside the same era year, but Keiō 1 corresponds to 1865, and that is the date followed here. The family credits the carpentry to a noted master builder from Usuki, 高橋団内 (Takahashi).
Why It Was Registered
The Fushunkan main house was registered as difficult to reproduce. Only it and the annex were registered on that criterion; the other six parts of Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) count for their contribution to the landscape. The Agency singles out details such as the tokonoma alcove and rates the house as outstanding in design, materials and workmanship for the principal dwelling of a head family.
The plan is easy to read. A formal entrance with a Shikidai, the low boarded step on which guests of rank were received, opens at the centre of the south front. A raised reception room lies to the west, the family altar room to the north and the living rooms to the east: guests on one side, ancestors behind, household life on the other.
Shikidai entrances belong to samurai houses, and in the countryside they tend to appear only in families of headman rank. The family itself describes the main house as built in the manner of a warrior residence. For brewers who also served the Usuki domain as village officials, the entrance said what their position was.
What to Look For
Start at the south front, where the broad hip-and-gable roof sits over the formal entrance. Thirteen bays is a long frontage, and from the entrance court it fills the view. Because a single-storey section is joined to the two-storey body, it pays to follow the roofline and see where the levels change.
Just west of the entrance stands the middle gate, with a wall running south from it. Gate and wall close the entrance court off from the garden and turn it into a formal forecourt, which is clearest when you stand square in front of the house.
Inside, the rooms serve as a gallery. The family says the interiors are close to their original state, so you are looking at the house as well as the work on show. Find the Tokonoma; it is the feature the Agency chose to mention.
Visiting
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Main House is open as part of Gallery Fushunkan, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays and Tuesdays (the following day when a public holiday falls on either). During those hours you can go inside.
Artists' work is displayed and sold in the rooms, so check with staff before photographing indoors. The exterior can be seen from both the entrance court and the south garden; the middle gate and its wall divide the two, so walk round to see both sides.
Directions and general visiting conditions for the estate are on the Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Oita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Main House
- [ Beppu Hell Tour & Yufuin Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- Can you go inside Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Main House?
- Yes. The main house is used as a gallery and the rooms can be visited from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, or the following day when a public holiday falls on either.
- When was Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives Keiō 1, or 1865. Some visitor material says 1863, but Keiō 1 corresponds to 1865.
- How big is the Fushunkan main house?
- It is 13 by 7 bays with a building area of 342 square metres, mostly two storeys with a single-storey section, under a hip-and-gable pantiled roof.
- What is distinctive about the plan of the Hoashi main house?
- A formal shikidai entrance at the centre of the south side, a raised reception room to the west, the family altar room to the north and living rooms to the east, a layout associated with samurai houses.
- Why is the Fushunkan main house a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered as difficult to reproduce. The Agency cites details such as the tokonoma and rates its design, materials and workmanship as outstanding.
Basic Information
| Name | Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Main House |
|---|---|
| Location | 4381-1 Nakahetsugi, Oita City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/11/29 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys with a single-storey section, tiled roof, building area 342 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Open as a gallery, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays and Tuesdays |
References
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database, Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005944
- Cultural Heritage Online, Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/196939
- Oita City Historic Landscape Plan: Hetsugi Honmachi Townscape and Festival (Oita City)
- https://www.city.oita.oita.jp/o169/rekimachi/documents/hetugihonmachirekishgitekifuuchi.pdf
- List of Nationally Designated and Selected Cultural Properties (Oita Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.oita.jp/kyoiku/tmp/bunka/post-101/1.pdf
- History of Hoashi Honke Fushunkan (Hoashi Honke)
- https://www.hoashi-honke.com/history.html
- Gallery Fushunkan (Hoashi Honke)
- https://www.hoashi-honke.com/gallery.html
- Hoashi Honke (Fushunkan and Garden) (Oita City Tourist Association)
- https://www.oishiimati-oita.jp/spot/374
Last verified: 2026.09.26
