【Fukiya Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in Takahashi City】

Fukiya is located on the Kibi Plateau (Mid-Western Okayama Prefecture). It is made up of four neighborhoods: Senmai, Nakamachi, Shimomachi, and Shimodani. During the Edo period (1603-1868) it developed as a center for mining bengara (red iron-oxide pigment) and copper ore. It also had many flourishing inns and wholesale businesses along the former Fukiya Street, as it was the main transit point between the town of Bingo Tojo (now Shobara City in Hiroshima Prefecture), and Bitchu Nariwa (now Nariwacho in Takahashi City in Okayama Prefecture).
The distinctive red townspace took form on the basis of what was then a visionary concept, that of building luxurious residential and business buildings with unified design features that characterized the entire town rather than with disparate individualized designs. In recent years, Fukiya has been the site of various special events that highlight its unique townscape as well as the rich natural beauty and deep historical and cultural roots of the area.

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