A Big Earthen Storehouse on the Street
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Pawn Storehouse (帆足家本家住宅（富春館）質蔵, shichigura) is a two-storey earthen storehouse built around 1916 in Nakahetsugi, Oita City, Oita Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2006.
It stands on the southern edge of the estate, south of the main house and immediately west of the front gate, facing the road. It is 7 by 3 bays and covers 80 square metres, built in Dozo-zukuri earthen-wall construction under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. The walls are finished in white Shikkui plaster above a dado of Namako-kabe tiles, and the whole sits on five courses of cut stone.
A shichigura is a store for pledged goods, the things people left as security for a loan. The name suggests that, besides farming and brewing, the Hoashi also lent money against pledges.
Why It Was Registered
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Pawn Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it large in scale and restrained in design, and its long white wall along the road forms the western half of the estate's street front, together with the gate and the Western-style house.
The interior is framed around two posts set on the line of the ridge. The ground floor is divided into two rooms and the upper floor left as one. It is a sensible plan for a store: goods could be sorted by kind below, with open space above.
The Agency dates the building to about 1916. The family's own material calls it a Meiji-period storehouse, which would be earlier; the two sources do not agree.
What to Look For
From the road, start at the bottom: five courses of cut stone, then the namako-kabe dado. The flat black tiles, their joints raised in white plaster, protect the earthen wall from rain splash, and the band they form sets off the white plaster above.
Go round to the gable end to see how thick an earthen wall is. Plastered right up to the eaves, it makes a marked contrast with the plain timber gate beside it.
Once through the gate, look back. The north side of the storehouse faces the garden south of the main house, and the garden wall starts from its northwest corner, so the storehouse also serves as one corner of the garden enclosure.
Visiting
The Fushunkan pawn storehouse once housed the family's café, Tōka Ryūsui. The family now runs it as rental space, so the interior is open only when an event or pop-up is on. Check with the family before counting on going in.
The exterior is easy to see from the road and from inside the grounds. The south face, on the road, is lit from mid-morning into the early afternoon, when the joints of the namako-kabe stand out best.
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) Pawn Storehouse
- [ Beppu Hell Tour & Yufuin Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- What is Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Pawn Storehouse?
- A storehouse for pledged goods, built in earthen-wall construction, two storeys, 7 by 3 bays and 80 square metres, with a gabled pantiled roof.
- When was Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Pawn Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives about 1916. The family describes it as Meiji-period, so the sources differ.
- Can you go inside the Fushunkan pawn storehouse?
- Only sometimes. It was a café and is now rented out as event space, so it opens only when something is on. Ask the family before visiting.
- What should I look at on the Hoashi pawn storehouse?
- The five courses of cut stone at the base, the white plaster walls and the namako-kabe tiled dado, best seen on the south side facing the road.
- Why is the Fushunkan pawn storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a large, restrained storehouse forming part of the estate's street front.
Basic Information
| Name | Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Pawn Storehouse |
|---|---|
| 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 | Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 80 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable; interior used as rental event space |
References
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database, Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Pawn Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006065
- List of Nationally Designated and Selected Cultural Properties (Oita Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.oita.jp/kyoiku/tmp/bunka/post-101/1.pdf
- Café Tōka Ryūsui (Hoashi Honke)
- https://www.hoashi-honke.com/cafe.html
- Visitor Information and Access (Hoashi Honke)
- https://www.hoashi-honke.com/about.html
- Hoashi Honke (Fushunkan and Garden) (Oita City Tourist Association)
- https://www.oishiimati-oita.jp/spot/374
Last verified: 2026.09.26
