A mud-walled granary under a thatched roof
Furusato Travel Village Storehouse (ふるさと旅行村土蔵, Furusato Ryokōmura Dozō) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri granary of 1870 standing in the Shimohatanogawa district of Kumakogen Town, Ehime Prefecture, and it was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 31 January 2003.
It was built to hold grain. A second floor was inserted inside the small footprint and used for household equipment, so a building of 28 square metres served two kinds of storage at once. That figure makes Furusato Travel Village Storehouse the smallest of the five registered buildings inside Kumakogen Furusato Travel Village, and it was also the first of them to arrive: it came here in 1976, a year ahead of the next two.
The construction is the standard one for a Japanese storehouse. A timber frame is encased in thick earthen walls and finished in lime plaster, which resists fire well enough that a household would put its grain, its documents and its valuables inside and its people in a timber house next door.
The roof that is not attached
What makes this building unusual is on top. The roof is Kayabuki, thatch, which is rare on a storehouse; the great majority are tiled. And it is built as an okiyane, a roof set over the plastered box rather than carried by it, standing on its own supports with a gap between the two.
The arrangement solves a real problem. Earthen walls and lime plaster dislike prolonged wet, and a roof that sits clear of them keeps rain off the wall head while letting air move through the space between. It can also be renewed without disturbing the plaster underneath, which matters when the covering is thatch and needs periodic re-laying. In a fire the roof may burn away and leave the box intact.
Furusato Travel Village Storehouse is register number 38-0032, accepted in the thirty-fifth round of registrations, notified on 26 February 2003 and registered on 31 January of that year. As with the other four entries from this site, the criterion applied was the first of the three used for Registered Tangible Cultural Property listings, which covers buildings held to be a model of design within their class. The register entry adds that the building conveys the former appearance of farming settlements in the district, and the thatch is a large part of why.
What to look at
Read the wall from the ground up. The lower zone is boarded, and the boarding stops at the height of the small roof over the door. Above that line the surface changes to Shikkui plaster, pale and smooth. The join is not arbitrary: the board is armour where carts, tools and weather do their damage, and the plaster takes over where it can stay clean.
At the top of the wall, where it meets the eaves, look at the corners. The plastered band that finishes the wall head carries decorative treatment there, which is where a storehouse builder was allowed to show off. The rest of the building is severely plain, so the eye goes to it.
Last, find the gap. Stand at a corner and look for daylight between the top of the plastered box and the underside of the thatch. Once you have seen it, the whole logic of the building falls into place, and the difference between this and a conventional storehouse becomes obvious from across the field.
Visiting
Furusato Travel Village Storehouse stands at 488 Otsu, Shimohatanogawa, Kumakogen Town, in the grounds of Kumakogen Furusato Travel Village. The site is owned by Kumakogen Town and has been run under contract by a local operating company since 2023. Staff are at the office between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., on 0892-41-0711.
The village closes for the winter, with its facilities running from early April to mid or late November in the 2026 season. The published fee list sets no admission charge for the registered buildings and no scheduled interior opening is announced. A storehouse is in any case usually kept shut, so plan on an exterior visit and ask at the office if you want more.
No posted rule restricts photography of the exteriors. By car, the site is about 40 minutes from the Matsuyama interchange on the expressway, and there is parking in the grounds. By public transport, take the JR Shikoku Bus Kumakogen Line from JR Matsuyama Station to the Kumakogen stop, roughly 1 hour 20 minutes, then a taxi for the last 7 kilometres.
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Q&A
- What was Furusato Travel Village Storehouse used for?
- It was a granary. A second floor was built inside and used to store household equipment, so the building held grain below and utensils above.
- Why does Furusato Travel Village Storehouse have a thatched roof?
- Thatch is unusual on a storehouse, most of which are tiled, and the register entry singles it out as conveying the former look of farming settlements in the district. The roof is built as an okiyane, standing over the plastered box rather than resting on it, which keeps rain off the wall head and allows the covering to be renewed without disturbing the plaster.
- How old is Furusato Travel Village Storehouse and when did it come to this site?
- It dates from 1870 and was moved here in 1976, making it the first of the five registered buildings to be relocated into the travel village.
- Can I go inside Furusato Travel Village Storehouse?
- Interior access is not offered as a scheduled service. The exterior can be seen while the travel village is open, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Telephone 0892-41-0711 beforehand if you want to ask about entry.
- How do I reach Furusato Travel Village Storehouse?
- Around 40 minutes by car from the Matsuyama interchange. Without a car, the JR Shikoku Bus Kumakogen Line takes about 1 hour 20 minutes from JR Matsuyama Station to the Kumakogen stop, and a taxi covers the remaining 7 kilometres.
Basic Information
| Name | Furusato Travel Village Storehouse (ふるさと旅行村土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 488 Otsu, Shimohatanogawa, Kumakogen Town, Kamiukena District, Ehime Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), register number 38-0032 |
| Year Designated | Registered 31 January 2003; notified 26 February 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 28 square metres; 2 storeys, dozo construction, thatched roof |
| Owner | Kumakogen Town |
| Public Access | Inside Kumakogen Furusato Travel Village. Exterior viewable during opening hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; winter closure applies; interior opening not scheduled |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Furusato Ryokomura Dozo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003155
- Kumakogen Town: List of designated cultural properties in the town
- https://www.kumakogen.jp/site/education/6687.html
- Kumakogen Furusato Travel Village, official site
- https://furusato-family.com/
- Kumakogen Furusato Travel Village: Fees
- https://furusato-family.com/fee/
Last verified: 2026.09.05