A Taisho Reception Wing on the Street Front
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Western-Style House (帆足家本家住宅（富春館）洋館) is a two-storey timber reception building of 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, along the road, east of the pawn storehouse, with the front gate between the two. It measures 3 and a half by 2 and a half bays and covers 119 square metres, two storeys with a single-storey section, under a hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. The walls are rendered in mortar and scored with joints so that they read as dressed stone.
The entrance is at the southwest corner and a Western-style room faces south. North of the entrance is an eight-mat Zashiki, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the whole as a reception wing. A shop is attached on the east side.
Why It Was Registered
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Western-Style House was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. With the pawn storehouse and the front gate, it makes up the street face of the estate.
The interest lies in putting a Western room and a Japanese reception room under one roof. In the Taishō years, provincial families of standing across Japan added a Western-style room for receiving visitors, usually apart from the main house. The Hoashi building is one of these: callers met in the Western room, and those to be entertained formally moved on to the zashiki.
The family says the building was converted from a storehouse into its present form in 1916, and that the room used to receive guests survives. The Agency's record gives 1916 as the date of construction and says nothing of a conversion.
What to Look For
Outside, study the scored joints in the render. From across the road the wall passes for masonry; up close it is plainly plaster. It is a Taishō answer to the stone villas of the cities, made in timber and mortar.
Then note the tiled hipped roof above it. Western walls under a Japanese roof keep the building in step with the earthen storehouse and the gate beside it, so the street front still reads as one.
Indoors, the south-facing Western room gives the best sense of the old reception room. The family notes that the upper floor is laid out in Japanese style.
Visiting
Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Western-Style House houses the family's restaurant, Tōka Ryūsui, and the surest way to see the interior is to eat there; the family recommends booking. It closes on Mondays and Tuesdays (the following day when a public holiday falls on either).
The exterior can be seen from the road in front of the gate and from inside the grounds. The scored joints stand out best in raking light, early or late in the day. Avoid photographing other diners.
Directions and general visiting conditions for the estate are on the Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Western-Style House
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Q&A
- Can you go inside Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Western-Style House?
- Yes, as a diner. It is run as the restaurant Tōka Ryūsui, for which booking is recommended. It closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, or the following day when a public holiday falls on either.
- When was Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Western-Style House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives 1916. The family says a storehouse was converted into the present building that year.
- What is the layout of the Fushunkan Western-style house?
- An entrance at the southwest corner, a Western room on the south side and an eight-mat Japanese reception room north of the entrance, with a shop attached on the east.
- What is unusual about the exterior of the Hoashi Western-style house?
- Its mortar render is scored with joints to imitate stone masonry, while the roof is a traditional hipped roof of pantiles.
- Where is the Western-style house on the Hoashi estate?
- On the southern edge along the road, east of the pawn storehouse, with the front gate between them.
Basic Information
| Name | Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Western-Style 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 119 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Operates as a restaurant; interior can be seen when dining |
References
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database, Hoashi Family Main Residence (Fushunkan) Western-Style House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006079
- List of Nationally Designated and Selected Cultural Properties (Oita Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.oita.jp/kyoiku/tmp/bunka/post-101/1.pdf
- Restaurant Tōka Ryūsui (Hoashi Honke)
- https://www.hoashi-honke.com/tokaryusui.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
