The Former Koike Residence (旧小池邸) & the Nagaya-mon of the Former Fukuhara Residence (旧福原家長屋門)

Shinbayashi Park (新林公園) in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, is home to the Former Koike Residence (旧小池邸) and the Nagaya-mon (gatehouse) of the Former Fukuhara Residence (旧福原家長屋門), both designated as cultural properties by Fujisawa City.

Former Koike Residence

The Koike family was a distinguished lineage that served Ashikaga Takauji (1305–1358) and later held the position of head in Karakawa Village — now part of the Karakawa and Fujigaoka areas of Fujisawa — during the Edo period (1603–1868).

Their residence, originally built in 1841, was relocated to its current location in 1983.

Close by is the Nagaya-mon of the Former Fukuhara Residence.

Nagaya-mon of the Former Fukuhara Residence

The Fukuhara family was an old and prominent household in what is the Watauchi area of Fujisawa today. Their residence is depicted in the Sochuryuonkiryaku (相中留恩記略), a pictorial guidebook compiled in 1839 by Fukuhara Takayuki and his son Takamine.

A nagaya-mon (長屋門) is a gatehouse with rooms on both sides; a structure that began to appear in late Edo-period (1603–1868) upper-class farmhouses as a symbol of prestige. These rooms were often used as storerooms, barns, or stables. This nagaya-mon is one of the larger-scale examples in Kanagawa Prefecture and has remained well-preserved in its original form.

The relocation and restoration work began in October 2007 and was completed in December 2008.