The Kyu Furuike Family Residence, located in Yasutomi-cho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, is set to be newly designated as a National Treasure among architectural structures. Japan's Council for Cultural Affairs held a meeting on May 22, 2026, at which the Cultural Properties Subcommittee deliberated and submitted a recommendation to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to newly designate 2 buildings as National Treasures and 6 buildings as Important Cultural Properties.
Following the official government gazette announcement, the total number of National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties (architectural structures) is expected to reach 2,611 items and 5,612 structures (including 235 National Treasures comprising 305 structures).
As a result of this recommendation, the Kyu Furuike Family Residence (Yasutomi-cho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture) will become one of the first private residences in Japan to be designated as a National Treasure — together with the Hakogi Family Residence (Yamada-cho, Kita Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture). This marks the sixth National Treasure designation for a structure in Himeji City, following the designation of Himeji Castle's main keep on June 9, 1951.
Official Designation Details
Name and Number: Kyu Furuike Family Residence (Yasutomi-cho, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture) / 1 building
Location and Owner: 233-1 Yukitomo, Minakami, Yasutomi-cho, Himeji City / Himeji City
Designation Category and Criteria: National Treasure (Architectural Structure) / Among Important Cultural Properties, those of exceptional excellence with deep cultural and historical significance
Structure, Style, and Period: Width 13.9 m, Depth 8.3 m, hip-and-gable roof, thatched / 15th century
About the Kyu Furuike Family Residence
The Kyu Furuike Family Residence stands on a high plateau on the western bank of the Harida River, which flows southward through a mountainous area in the northwestern part of Himeji City. Built in the 15th century during the middle to late Muromachi period, it is considered one of the oldest surviving private residences in Japan. The structure displays a markedly archaic style, making it an irreplaceable historical monument for understanding Japan's medieval residential architecture.
The residence is highly valuable for illuminating the daily lives of upper-class households in the medieval period, and holds deep cultural and historical significance as a private residential building that preserves the landscape of that era.
Together with the Hakogi Family Residence (Yamada-cho, Kita Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture), it will become the first private residence in Japan to receive National Treasure designation.
