Furihata Architectural Design Office

Established in 1963, Furihata Architectural Design Office is Japan’s leading practitioners of traditional architecture. The company has been passed down over two generations, and our central location in Nagano Prefecture has enabled us to undertake projects all over Japan. Our chief is Makoto Furihata. Our portfolio includes the designing, converting or restoring of residences, onsen ryokan (Japanese inn), restaurants, shops, hospitals, temples, churches, offices, museums and other public facilities, all in accordance with our philosophy that architecture should source from the traditions and respect the contexts. We are especially recognised for pioneering a progressive and sustainable methodology for restoring timber folk houses (Kominka Saisei), for which our founder Hironobu Furihata has been awarded The Prize of Architectural Institute of Japan for Specific Contribution in 1990. By rejuvenating the original timber framing while replacing the other dilapidating parts, we were able to completely transform more than 300, mostly abandoned “kominka” into functional facilities that accommodate the modern needs of their occupants, all while preserving the traditional characteristics that define them as “kominka.” We have received more than 60 awards for our architectural excellence, with our most recent one being a Silver A’Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for our project “Ryouriyado Yamazaki.”