A Meiji Farmhouse That Travelled Sixty Kilometres
The Magariya at the Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science (秋田県立農業科学館曲屋, also written magari-ya), formerly the Itō Residence (旧伊藤家住宅, Kyū-Itō-ke Jūtaku), is a thatched single-storey farmhouse in Uchiotomo, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture, built between 1900 and 1903 and entered on the national register of Tangible Cultural Properties on 28 April 2000.
The word magariya describes the shape. Seen from above, the building bends: a long living wing meets a shorter wing at a right angle, and the short arm is the stable. Horses lived under the same thatch as the family, separated by a wall and a doorway rather than by a walk across the yard. In the snow country of inland Akita, that arrangement was practical arithmetic. A farmer who kept a horse for ploughing and hauling could not afford to have it freeze in a detached shed through a winter that buries fences.
This particular house did not begin here. It stood in the former town of Tazawako, now part of Semboku City, roughly sixty kilometres to the northeast, where it belonged to the Itō family. The family gave it to the prefectural museum for display, and in 1989 it was taken apart, moved, and rebuilt on the museum grounds. The reconstruction was not a loose approximation. Members restored the house to its original configuration, undoing the later alterations that almost every farmhouse accumulates over ninety years of use.
The footprint covers 218 square metres. One storey, timber frame, thatched roof, set on a continuous sill rather than on posts driven into the earth.
Why the Registration Matters, and What It Is Not
Japan runs two parallel systems for protecting buildings, and travel writing frequently confuses them. A Registered Tangible Cultural Property (登録有形文化財, tōroku yūkei bunkazai) is not the same thing as a designated Important Cultural Property. Registration is the lighter instrument, introduced in 1996 for buildings roughly fifty years old or older that merit preservation without the heavy restrictions of designation. Owners keep considerable freedom to use and adapt the building; in exchange, they notify the government before making significant changes.
The Magariya was registered under the criterion covering works that set a standard of design. Its registration number is 05-0056, issued in the twenty-third round of registrations; the gazette notice followed on 17 May 2000.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs commentary singles out three things. The timber was chosen carefully and the joinery is careful work rather than rough farm carpentry. The way the stable is fitted into the plan, and the placement of the entrances, carry recognisable local character. And the front veranda has a hajitomi (半蔀), a shutter hinged at the top that swings upward and hooks open.
That last detail is the odd one. Hajitomi belong to shrines, temples, and the residential architecture of the old court aristocracy. Finding one on the veranda of a working farmhouse in Akita is unusual enough that the national record mentions it by name.
What to Look For on the Ground
Come to the thatch first. Roofs like this are cut in a shallow angle at the eaves and rise steeply above, shedding snow load down and away from the walls. The reeds are laid in bundles and combed flush, and where the two wings of the L meet, the thatchers had to negotiate a valley that carries water from both slopes at once. It is the hardest part of the roof to build and the first part to fail. Look at that junction.
Inside, the floor levels do the explaining. The earthen-floored doma runs through the working end of the house and connects directly to the stable, so fodder, tools, and the horse itself all moved without anyone stepping onto the raised timber floor. The living rooms sit above that, floored and matted. An irori hearth is sunk into the boards. Smoke from the hearth was never vented through a chimney; it rose into the roof space and cured the thatch and the timbers from below, which is why the underside of an old thatched roof is black and why the beams are still sound.
Step out to the front veranda and find the hajitomi. Propped open on its hooks, it turns the edge of the room into a covered opening onto the yard; dropped shut, it becomes a wall.
The house sits within a working museum campus. The main building holds displays on farming in the Senboku region, irrigation history, and rice cultivation, and there is a tropical greenhouse, a rose garden, an orchard, and a broad lawn. Admission to all of it is free, which is worth knowing before you plan a longer stop than you expected.
Getting There and Practical Notes
The museum stands about six kilometres from JR Ōmagari Station, roughly fifteen minutes by car or taxi. Buses run from the Ōmagari Bus Terminal on the Ugo Kōtsū network, and the ride takes about twenty minutes. Drivers coming on the Akita Expressway are about three minutes from the Ōmagari interchange. Parking is on site.
Opening hours run from 9:30 to 16:30 between April and October, and from 9:30 to 16:00 between November and March. The museum closes on Mondays, moving the closure to the following day when a Monday falls on a public holiday, and it closes from 28 December to 3 January. There is no admission charge for the museum or the Magariya.
The museum publishes its own guidance on photography, so check the notice at the entrance before you start shooting inside. Hours, closures, and access details change; confirm with the museum before travelling a long way.
One more thing worth pairing with the visit. Daisen City is where the Ōmagari Fireworks Competition is held each August, one of the largest pyrotechnic events in Japan, and the town fills completely on that day.
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Q&A
- Can visitors see the Magariya at the Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science, and is there an admission fee?
- Yes. The Magariya stands in the museum's outdoor grounds and is open during museum hours, from 9:30 to 16:30 from April to October and from 9:30 to 16:00 from November to March. Admission to the entire museum, including the Magariya, is free of charge.
- What does the word magariya mean, and why is the Itō Residence built in that shape?
- Magariya means a bent house. The living quarters and the stable meet at a right angle under one continuous roof, giving the plan an L shape. Keeping the horse indoors protected the animal through the heavy snows of inland Akita and let the household tend it without going outside.
- Was the Magariya at the Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science always on this site?
- No. It was built in the former town of Tazawako, now part of Semboku City, and donated to the museum by the Itō family. It was dismantled, transported, and re-erected on the museum grounds in 1989, and restored to its original form in the process.
- Is the Magariya a National Treasure or an Important Cultural Property?
- Neither. It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, a lighter category of national protection created in 1996 for buildings around fifty years old or older. Registration encourages continued use and adaptation, while designation as an Important Cultural Property imposes far stricter controls.
- How do I reach the Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science from Ōmagari Station?
- The museum lies about six kilometres from JR Ōmagari Station, about fifteen minutes by car or taxi. Ugo Kōtsū buses depart from the Ōmagari Bus Terminal and take roughly twenty minutes. By car, the site is a few minutes from the Ōmagari interchange on the Akita Expressway.
Basic Information
| Name | Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science Magariya (Former Itō Residence) / 秋田県立農業科学館曲屋（旧伊藤家住宅） |
|---|---|
| Location | 171-4 Nakazawa, Uchiotomo, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure); registration no. 05-0056; criterion: a standard of design |
| Year Designated | Registered 28 April 2000; gazetted 17 May 2000 (23rd round) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single storey, timber frame, thatched roof; building area 218 m² |
| Owner | Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science |
| Public Access | Open to the public, free of charge. 9:30–16:30 (April to October), 9:30–16:00 (November to March). Closed Mondays (following day when a public holiday) and 28 December to 3 January |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science Magariya (Former Itō Residence)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001546
- Cultural Heritage Online: Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science Magariya (Former Itō Residence)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/145625
- Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science (Sun Agrin), official site
- https://www.obako.or.jp/sun-agrin/
- Daisen City Tourism and Products Association: Magariya (Former Itō Residence)
- https://daisenkankou.com/near/曲屋（旧伊藤家住宅）
- Akita Museum Guide: Akita Prefectural Museum of Agricultural Science
- https://www.akita-museum.com/page.php?serial_no=83
Last verified: 2026.08.13