Horiuche Family Residence

Overview

The Horiuche Family Residence is a wealthy farmer's house built in the late 18th century and designated as a Nationally Important Cultural Property. It was the home of a wealthy farming family who served as headmen of the former Horinouchi Village. It's a large, high-quality example of a *hondate* style building (a type of traditional Japanese house). Its imposing facade is accentuated by a large *suzume-odori* (a decorative gable ornament), adding to its powerful presence. Shiojiri City boasts seven nationally designated Important Cultural Properties of this kind, each with unique features. For example, the Komatsu Family Residence features a rare thatched *yosemune* roof (a type of gable roof) for a farmhouse of its age (around 300 years old), considered a prototype of early modern farmhouses in eastern Japan. The Shimazaki Family Residence, reportedly home to the headman of the former Kita-kumai Village (Kataoka), dates back to the Genroku era (late 17th-early 18th century). Its architecture is characteristic of the Matsumoto region, with simple techniques and materials. The Ono Family Residence, located in Shiojiri-juku post town on the Nakasendo highway, operated an inn under the name "Itefuyu." The main building, constructed around Tempo 2 (1831), features vibrantly painted cherry blossoms and cranes in the five rooms on the second floor. It's a valuable building, representing a higher-class structure, ranking below only the main inn and trading post. The Fukazawa Family Residence, in Niinagawa-juku post town along the Nakasendo, was a merchant family involved in itinerant trading since the mid-Edo period. The main building, constructed in Kaei 7 (1854), is large and features a unique facade with large second-floor lattice windows projecting significantly from the main structure. The Tezuka Family Residence (Kamotonoya Shiryokan Museum) was a trading post in Narai-juku post town along the Nakasendo. Built in Tenpo 11 (1840), the main building preserves its original function, with a well-appointed private room, showing off the style of trading-post architecture in the Kiso region. Today it operates as a public museum. The former Nakamura Family Residence (Nakamura-tei) was the home of a comb wholesaler in the Edo period. It showcases features characteristic of Narai-juku, such as *sarugashira* (monkey-head) decorations on the eaves, *shitomi* (sliding doors), and latticework. It is currently open to the public as a museum. Visit these precious buildings and experience the lifestyle and culture of that era.