This photo taken March 3, 2025, shows a tatami room in the former Soma family residence, a national important cultural property, in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan. (Kyodo)
HAKODATE (Kyodo) — The history of the former Soma family residence — a manor built in Hakodate, Hokkaido, in 1908 that was the private residence of a wealthy Japanese merchant — is one of prosperity and hardship.
Vacant and on the verge of demolition, it was purchased and designated as a nationally important cultural property. Now a museum and open to the public, this year it is expected to be made available for overnight stays.
The preservation of historical landmarks in Japan has become a hot-button issue nationwide, and the challenges of the Soma residence highlight the difficulty of maintaining such properties and lessons that can be learned by future generations.
Shinji Higashide, 85, a real estate agent in Hakodate, recalled how he felt when he learned in the spring of 2009 that the Soma residence was soon to be torn down due to the lack of an heir. “We couldn’t destroy such a beautiful thing,” he said.
Teppei Soma, a native of Echigo in present-day Niigata Prefecture, made his fortune as a rice merchant. He built the house on a hilltop near Mt. Hakodate, a symbol of the northern city which is renowned for its stunning panoramic night views.
Next to the old public hall of what was Hakodate Ward in the Motomachi district, the site is approximately 1,800 square meters.
The main house is designed in the Japanese style both inside and out, and the main drawing room overlooking Hakodate Bay uses high-quality “shoin-zukuri” architecture, constructed from fine wood and decorated with magnificent ornaments.
The reception room, located next to the entrance, is clapboarded on the outside and decorated with carved plant patterns on the window frames, while the interior is decorated in a delicate Western-style design with central ceiling ornaments and moldings.
Higashide was familiar with the residence, having passed by in his high school days.
When he was shown the inside of the house with its expansive high ceilings, which are covered in “Yakusugi” Japanese cedar boards, he saw no distortions in the beams.
This photo taken on Feb. 19, 2025, shows Shinji Higashide guiding visitors through the former Soma family residence in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan. (Kyodo)
After learning about the manor’s planned demolition, he repeatedly approached the city hall about preserving it, to no avail. When he stopped by for a final look, he says the surrounding trees twisted noisily in a strong wind.
Feeling it was a sign that “Mr. Soma was angry,” Higashide bought the property for about 100 million yen (about $680,000).
After renovating the building, it was opened to the public in 2010 as a museum that exhibits the traditional furniture and artwork owned by the Soma family.
In 2012, a visit from an inspector from the Agency for Cultural Affairs led to the main building and storehouse being designated some six years later as one of the nation’s approximately 2,500 “important cultural properties” of historical and cultural value.
“The experience was more sobering than pleasing,” Higashide said.
The former Soma family residence reveals the difficulties of preserving historical properties in Japan. The area around it is one of 129 “important preservation districts for groups of traditional buildings” selected by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Buildings designated in such districts by local governments cannot be demolished without permission, but the manor had not been included in the designation since the previous owner had not agreed.
According to the agency, many owners in preservation districts wish to give up their buildings due to the cost and challenges of maintaining and managing them, and the lack of successors.
Municipalities also take over the management of properties at a hefty cost. “We don’t like to admit it, but there are cases where (historical) buildings do get demolished,” said an agency official.
This photo taken on Feb. 19, 2025, shows a Western-style room in the former Soma family residence, a national important cultural property, in Hakodate, Hokkaido. (Kyodo)
Value Management Co., a Tokyo-based firm engaging in the preservation and management of historical buildings, proposed actively putting such national cultural properties to use as the best way to avoid their destruction.
The company had a hand in utilizing Ozu Castle in Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, western Japan, and more than 90 other historical buildings across Japan as hotels and for other purposes, with a portion of the profits going to their preservation.
“Places where historical buildings remain are a treasure trove,” said Jun Tarikino, CEO and president of the company.
The former Soma family residence will be managed by Value Management starting this year.
Because he was getting older, Higashide sold the property to a company in Tokyo that specializes in turning real estate into investment opportunities, with Value Management taking charge of its daily operations. It will continue to be open to the public, while there are plans to convert part of it into lodging facilities by the end of the year.
Although Higashide sold the property for approximately the same amount as he paid, he spent more than 100 million yen on renovations, resulting in him taking a “huge loss.”
Even so, he said, “The days we spent trying our best to preserve it are irreplaceable. I hope they will continue to protect it with new methods.”
(By Yu Seo)
AloJapan.com