Groups of Traditional Buildings (伝統的建造物群, Dentōteki Kenzōbutsu-gun) is a Japanese category of historic preservation introduced by a 1975 amendment of the law which mandates the protection of groups of traditional buildings which, together with their environment, form a beautiful scene. They can be post towns, castle towns, mining towns, merchant quarters, ports, farming or fishing villages, etc.[1] The Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs recognizes and protects the country's cultural properties under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties.
Municipalities can designate items of particular importance as Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings (伝統的建造物群保存地区, Dentōteki Kenzōbutsu-gun Hozon-chiku) and approve measures to protect them. Items of even higher importance are then designated Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区, Jūyō Dentōteki Kenzōbutsu-gun Hozon-chiku) by the central government.[1] The Agency for Cultural Affairs then provides guidance, advice, and funds for repairs and other work. Additional support is given in the form of preferential tax treatment.
As of May 23, 2024, 129 districts have been classified as Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
List of Important Preservation Districts
Criteria
Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings are designated according to three criteria:[2]
Groups of traditional buildings that show excellent design as a whole
Groups of traditional buildings and land distribution that preserve the old state of affairs well
Groups of traditional buildings and their surrounding environment that show remarkable regional characteristics
The table's columns (except for Remarks and Images) are sortable by table headings. The following gives an overview of what is included in the table and how the sorting works.
Name: name of the important preservation district as registered in the Database of National Cultural Properties[3]
Type: type of the district (samurai / merchant / tea house /... quarter, post town, mountain village, mine town,...)
Criterion: number of the criterion under which the district is designated (see list of criteria above)
Area: area covered
Remarks: general remarks
Location: "town-name prefecture-name"; The column entries sort as "prefecture-name town-name".
Images: picture of the structure
List
Name
Type
Criterion
Area
Remarks
Location
Images
Motomachi and Suehiro-chō (函館市元町末広町, Hakodate-shi Motomachi Suehiro-chō)[4][5]
port quarter
3
14.5 ha (36 acres)
Old Hakodate port area, which was among the first ports to be opened during the bakumatsu period at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Due to a fire in the Meiji period, the district consists of a mix of western, Japanese, and eclectic style town houses, religious and community buildings from the Meiji to the early Shōwa period.
Former samurai castle town of the Tsugaru Domain dating to the Keichō era (1596–1615) with principal houses, the front gate, sawara hedges and wooden fences.
Merchant town and transportation center along the coastal road that prospered since the establishment of the Kuroishi Tsugaru family by Tsugaru Nobufusa in 1656.
Town appeared around Makabe Castle in the Sengoku period and was further developed by the Kasama clan during the Edo period. Japanese and western style town houses from the Edo period from after a Tenpō era (1830–1844) fire remain. Plots are fenced in with a yakuimon[note 5] providing access and some town houses feature a sodegura[note 6]storehouse.
Tea house neighborhood that developed from the late Edo to the early Shōwa period with tall two-storied houses to which in recent times a third level has been added. The site is said to have been the residence of a Kaga Domain deputy, giving the district its name.
Kuroshima district (輪島市黒島地区, Wajima-shi kuroshima-chiku)[39]
ship-owner quarter
2
20.5 ha (51 acres)
Early 16th century settlement that grew with the development of the shipping industry in the Sea of Japan during the Edo period. The district contains residences of ship-owners and sailors, temples, shrines, storehouses and gardens.
Dry field farming village during the Edo period that turned into silk farming in the mid Meiji period. To accommodate the silk worm culture, the central part of the roof was raised.
Originally founded during the Tenshō era as a castle town, Inariyama became a post station after the castle was abandoned in the Keichō era. Commercialization started in the 19th century and it turned into a distribution center for raw silk and textile products at the start of modern Japan.
One of the 69 Stations of the Nakasendō and part of the Kisoji. In addition to the late Edo early Meiji period inn town, the designation includes part of the rural surroundings and three villages.
Village located in a river valley along a former main transportation road farming citrus fruits, tea and tobacco using seasonally occupied farmwork huts.
Built on the east side of Lake Biwa at the intersection of the Hokkoku Kaidō with the Nakasendō the town was used as a base by Ōmi merchants which is reflected in the large number of elegant town and storehouses.
Farming village with a core of residences of Ōmi merchants surrounded by traditional farm houses developed from the late Edo to the early Shōwa period.
Fishing village located on an inlet that is surrounded on three sides by mountains. Built from the late Edo to the early Shōwa period, the residential part of the town houses are built on top of the boat shed.
Former temple town serving among others, Hokan-ji, Kiyomizu-dera and Yasaka Shrine. The stretch from Sannei-zaka towards Ninen-zaka is lined by single-storied shops and tea houses with mushikomado (虫籠窓) latticed windows. From Sannei-zaka to Kōdai-ji there are two-storied Taishō period buildings in sukiya-zukuri style.
Residential neighborhood for the head priests of Kamigamo Shrine including a stone bridge, earthen walls, gates, front gardens and single storied houses with sangawarabuki tile roofs,[note 7]
Kita Miyama-chō (南丹市美山町北, Nantan-shi Miyama-chō Kita)[72]
mountain village
3
127.5 ha (315 acres)
Village with about 50 thatched roof houses and hardened stone walls extending for about 600 m × 300 m (1,970 ft × 980 ft) along the upper stream of the Yura River.
Founded as an IkkōJōdo Shinshūjinaimachi in the late Muromachi period on a terrace of the Ishi river and centered around Kōshō-ji Betsuin temple. In the Edo period it became a zaigō town with large town houses lining the street.
Post town and farming community that developed along a major road with two storied tile roofed and single storied thatched houses, with entrances on the gable end.
Castle town beneath Tatsuno Castle that developed into a merchant district during the Edo period and a major producer of soy sauce with a tradition dating back to the 17th century.
Located between Mount Shiroyama and the Uda River, Matsuyama developed from a castle town to a political and economic center of the Uda District. The town houses date from the late Edo to the early Shōwa period.
Originating as an autonomous religious community centered around Shōnen-ji (称念寺) during the Muromachi Period, the town was formerly surrounded by a moat.
Soy sauce maker district that flourished at the end of the 16th century, with shops and storehouses dating to the Edo period, the oldest are two-storied structures with gabled roof and hongawara tiles[note 8]
Commercial and industrial city that prospered from the Edo to the Taishō period. The preservation district consists of town house, storehouses with white plaster walls and reddish roofs.
Farming village with river irrigation from the Amida River, consisting of large scale main buildings and affiliated houses from the early modern period until the early Shōwa period including the Kadowaki Family House (門脇家住宅).
Developed in the early Edo period as a castle town of Tsuwano Castle, Tsuwano contains residences of senior vassals and a merchant district centered along the old San'indō.
Copper mining town and leading producer of copper in Chūgoku from the Muromachi to the Meiji period. With the decline of copper production in the Edo period, production shifted to Red Iron Oxide (Bengala) which prospered until the Taishō period. The houses feature red clay tile roofs, rouge mud walls and latticework.
Founded by Ukita Hideie, it later became the port of the Bitchū-Matsuyama Domain and served as relay point for goods to Kyoto. The townscape consists of glazed tile roofs and canals.
Merchant district that developed from the castle town of Tsuyama Castle, with buildings constructed from the Edo to the Shōwa period, featuring kōshiirimado (格子入窓) and mushikomado (虫籠窓) latticed windows, namako walls and sodekabe (袖壁) side walls.
With the development of the Western Circuit (西廻り航路, nishimawari kōro) shipping route through the Seto Inland Sea in the Edo period, Yutaka-machi Mitarai on the island of Ōsakishimojima grew as a port for ships waiting for rising tide or favourable winds. The town includes gabled houses with sangawarabuki roofs[note 7] and is dotted with western style house. The port area retains its historical character with groynes, stepped piers and a lighthouse.
Takehara district (竹原市竹原地区, Takehara-shi Takehara-chiku)[96]
salt works town
1
5 ha (12 acres)
Market and port town that prospered with the introduction of salt pans in 1650. From the late Edo period and backed by the economic development the town became a center of learning, tea ceremony and other refined cultural activities. The current townscape with hongawarabuki roofs[note 8] and solid plastered fire-resistant wall (漆喰塗籠, shikkui nurigome) dates from the Edo to the early Shōwa period.
Port town along the main shipping routes along the Seto Inland Sea with Edo period town houses, temples, shrines, stone structures and harbour facilities.
Port town formed together with a castle town at the mouth of the Abu River. It flourished in early modern Japan in the shipbuilding and fishery industry and prospered from the Taishō to the early Shōwa period as a trading center for small dried sardines (イリコ) and Natsumikan.
Hiyako district (萩市平安古地区, Hagi-shi Hiyako-chiku)[99]
samurai quarter
2
4 ha (9.9 acres)
Samurai residences near the Hashimoto River that were created with the development of the castle. In addition to residential architecture the district includes a Nagayamon gate and storehouses.
Horiuchi district (萩市堀内地区, Hagi-shi Horiuchi-chiku)[100]
samurai quarter
2
77.4 ha (191 acres)
This district covers almost the whole area of the third bailey of Hagi Castle founded by Mōri Terumoto in 1608. It contained the domain's offices and residences of Mōri's household and high ranked samurai.
A former post town set among rice fields and situated along the main highway of the Hagi Domain. The town was redeveloped by the appearance of tea houses in early modern times. Houses with thatched and sangawarabuki roofs[note 7]
Furuichi and Kanaya (柳井市古市金屋, Yanai-shi Furuichi-Kanaya)[101]
merchant quarter
1
1.7 ha (4.2 acres)
Due to its strategic location on the Seto Inland Sea and on Yanai River, Yanai flourished since ancient times as a trading center. Merchant houses with hongawarabuki roofs[note 8] and solid plastered fire-resistant wall (漆喰塗籠, shikkui nurigome).
A district that preserves private houses from each period after the beginning of the 18th century. The houses have a distinctive design with tile roofs, decorative udatsu (卯建) posts and the frame cased in a fireproof coat of plaster (大壁造, ōkabe-zukuri).
Fishing village formed around a cove at the northern end of Teba Island from 1800 due to the immigration policy of the Tokushima Domain. From the Meiji to the prewar Shōwa period it prospered through bonito and tuna fishing.
Former zaigō hometown of the Uwajima Domain originating from a castle town of Matsuba Castle (松葉城) that functioned during the Edo period as a trading center for agricultural produce and hinoki cypress as well as a post station on the Uwajima road and gateway to Meiseki-ji on the Shikoku Pilgrimage. The preservation district includes remains of town houses from the Edo to the Shōwa Period as well as western style churches and schools.
Wax maker town with houses from the Edo and Meiji Period that developed along the Konpira road of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. The buildings line a 750 m (2,460 ft) long street and have plastered fireproof walls (漆喰塗大壁).
Distribution center for goods that developed from the late Edo period to modern times on a narrow site near the mouth of the Iwamatsu river. The site includes townhouses, storehouses, outbuildings and farmhouses as well as the walls of waterways.
Residential town with merchant and store houses on a narrow plot along the road connecting Kōchi with Muroto. Buildings have white plastered walls and characteristic water-draining tiles (水切り瓦).
Niikawa and Tagomori (うきは市新川田篭, Ukiha-shi Niikawa Tagomori)[110]
mountain village
3
71.2 ha (176 acres)
Villages with irrigation channel rice farming along the Kumanoue River valley in the Minō Mountains. The villages contain houses with thatched yosemune style [note 9] roofs as well as irimoya style tile-roofed houses that gained popularity starting in the Meiji period. In addition the preservation district includes stone walls, main and wayside Shinto shrines.
A former post station along the Bungo Road that, in the second half of the Edo period, developed into a residential town and economic center of the Chikugo district. After a large fire in 1867, houses received plaster fireproofing walls.
Former castle town of the Akizuki branch of the Kuroda clan established in the early Edo period. The district includes merchant houses and residences of samurai and of Shinto priests.
Townscape with storehouses in a former castle town of the Yanagawa DomainFukushima Castle. Later with the abandonment of the castle it was taken over by the Kurume Domain and flourished as a trading center for locally produced agricultural products.
Town on the Nagasaki Kaidō where sake brewing became popular in the mid Edo period and towards the late Edo period there were around ten buildings involved in this business. The remaining structures date from the late Edo to the Shōwa period.
In the middle ages, the port of call of kenminsen in the Genkai Sea and later the headquarter of the whaling industry. The town includes gabled houses with sangawarabuki roofs[note 7] and trapezoidal floor plans matching the curved streets.
Developed from a castle town to the political and economical center of Kyushu after becoming under the jurisdiction of the bakufu shogunate in 1639. Houses from different eras are preserved and form an orderly townscape with two streets running north-south crossed by five streets in east-west direction.
Kita-dai and Minami-dai (杵築市北台南台, Kitsuki-shi kita-dai minami-dai)[97]
samurai quarter
2
16.1 ha (40 acres)
Residential neighborhood for upper and middle-class samurai from the Kitsuki Domain around Kitsuki Castle. It consists of two parts, Kita-dai and Minami-dai separated by a valley and connected via stone steps and slopes of masonry.
Port town that flourished as a ship building center from the bakumatsu to the Taishō period. The townscape consists of gabled houses along three main streets and fire prevention road known as tsukinuke.
Samurai district of a former castle town of the Itō clan with stone walls, the castle front gate (大手門, ōtemon), gates for the samurai residences (長屋門, nagayamon) and other gates.
Part of the outer castles established by the Satsuma Clan and in possession of the Chiran-Shimazu Clan (Sata Clan), the district is centered around the feudal lord's residence.
^The total in this column is larger than the number of designated groups, because some of the designated properties belong to more than one type.
^ abcA jinai-machi, jinai-chō (寺内町) is an autonomous religious community that appeared in the Muromachi Period.
^ abcdefghijklmnDuring the Edo period, zaigō towns (在郷町, zaigō-machi) were areas in the countryside where artisans and merchants lived under the administration of a nearby village's magistrate (bugyō).
^(chūmon-zukuri, 中門造): a type of minka, vernecular house, with one or more wings projecting at right angles from the main house[15]
^(yakuimon, 薬医門): a gate with a gabled roof, two square or rectangular main posts and two square or circular secondary posts[18]
^(sodegura, 袖蔵): a type of storehouse flanking the main shop with the roofs at right angles to the main building[19]
^ abcde(sangawarabuki, 桟瓦葺): a roof tile combining a broad concave tile with a semi-cylindrical convex tile into one tile. The tile is square undulating from concave to convex.[71]
^ abc(hongawarabuki, 本瓦葺): a tile roof composed of flat broad concave tiles and semi-cylindrical convex tiles covering the seams of the former[84]
^(yosemune-zukuri, 寄棟造): a hipped roof where the front and back are trapezoidal and the sides triangular in shape; in Japan generally used for buildings of less importance[111]
^重要伝統的建造物群保存地区選定基準 [Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings selection criteria] (in Japanese). Tokyo: MEXT. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
^ abc重要伝統的建造物群保存地区の選定について [About selection of Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings] (PDF). Press release (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-06-30. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
^栃木市嘉右衛門町伝統的建造物群保存地区 [Tochigi Kauemon-chō Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings]. Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Tochigi, Tochigi. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
^桐生新町伝統的建造物群保存地区 [Kiryū Shin Machi Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings] (in Japanese). Kiryū. Archived from the original on 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
^赤岩 [Akaiwa] (in Japanese). Kuni. Archived from the original on 2009-05-31. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
^ ab重要伝統的建造物群保存地区の選定について [About selection of Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings] (PDF). Press release (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
^南越前「今庄宿」 [Imajō, Minamiechizen-chō] (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
^ abc重要伝統的建造物群保存地区の選定について [About selection of Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings] (PDF). Press release (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
^重伝建地区「甲州市塩山下小田原上条」 [Group of Traditional Buildings Kōshū-shi Enzan Shimo-odawara Kamijō] (in Japanese). Kōshū. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
^赤沢 [Akazawa] (in Japanese). Hayakawa. Archived from the original on 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
^奈良井 [Narai] (in Japanese). Narai-juku tourism association. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
^木曾平沢 [Kiso-hirasawa] (in Japanese). Kiso-hirasawa preservation association. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
^ ab重要伝統的建造物群保存地区の選定について [About selection of Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings] (PDF). Press release (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
^文化審議会の答申 [Report of the Agency for Cultural Affairs] (PDF). Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
^安芸市土居廓中 [Aki-shi Doikachū] (in Japanese). Aki. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
^伝統的建造物群保存地区(八女福島および黒木) [Preservation districts for groups of traditional buildings (Yame, Fukushima and Kurogi)] (in Japanese). Yame city. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
^秋月伝統的建造物群保存地区 [Akizuki Preservation district for groups of traditional buildings] (in Japanese). Asakura city. Retrieved 2017-12-17.