A Late Edo House on the Honmachi River
The Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House (藤田佳宏家住宅主屋) is a single-storey timber house of the late Edo period (1830 to 1867) in the Honmachi district of Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on January 15, 2010 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tile roof and a building area of 132 square metres; registration number 32-0104.
A 2014 list issued by the Gotsu City Board of Education dates the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House to before 1858, which makes it the oldest of the 4 registered structures on the plot.
Walls and Roof
The Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House stands in the middle of the plot facing north and measures 13 metres by 8.8 metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, lean-to Geya roofs around its sides and a privy wing at the back.
Only the lower parts of the front and back walls show exposed timber framing (Shinkabe); the rest is sealed in Shikkui lime plaster, which according to the Gotsu City Board of Education is carried right up to the underside of the eaves of the main roof. A smoke vent rises from the roof above the earth-floored work area, and the city list notes that it survives.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency describes the plan of the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House as a four-room Yomadori layout of the kagi-zashiki type (literally "key-shaped reception rooms") and presents it as an example of the traditional house plan of the Iwami region, the western half of Shimane. The Gotsu City Board of Education also singles out this combination of a four-square plan with kagi-zashiki rooms.
It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The city list regards it as a valuable large house of the early modern period that keeps the arrangement of its estate.
What to Look For
At the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House, look for the line where the plastered walls give way to exposed framing at the base of the front. With plaster carried right up under the eaves, almost no timber shows, and the house reads as a solid, sealed block.
The smoke vent on the roof marks the position of the earth-floored work area inside, and the lean-to roofs add a lower line of eaves beneath the main roof.
Visiting
No official information on interior access to the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House was found, so it can only be seen from the public road. Because it stands in the middle of the plot behind the gate and wall on the Honmachi River, the house is seen beyond them from the street. Please stay off the property and photograph only from the road.
Q&A
- When was the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, and a Gotsu City Board of Education list places it before 1858.
- What is special about the plan of the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House?
- It is based on a four-room layout of the kagi-zashiki type and is regarded as an example of the traditional house plan of the Iwami region (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House?
- No official information on interior access was found; it can only be seen from the public road.
- Where is the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House?
- At 286 Gotsucho and other lots, Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture, on the Honmachi River in the old Gotsu Honmachi district.
- When was the Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House registered?
- On January 15, 2010 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House (藤田佳宏家住宅主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 286 Gotsucho and other lots, Gotsu City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/01/15 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tile roof, 132 m² (13 m by 8.8 m) |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | Exterior only (no information on interior access) |
References
- Fujita Yoshihiro Family Residence Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008054
- Gotsu City Board of Education, 2014 list of cultural properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.gotsu.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/2945.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.01
