What Is the Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse?
The Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse (南久保田家住宅農業倉庫, Minami-Kubota-ke Jūtaku Nōgyō Sōko) is a 1935 farm warehouse in the southwest corner of the Minamikubota estate in Fukunaga, Yoshii-cho, Ukiha City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 February 2012. It is a 2-storey timber building covering 89 square meters.
It is the newest of the eight registered buildings and, after the main house, the largest. Its ridge runs east to west, and the rear gate stands next to it on the east.
A Big Barn for a Farming Household
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse as a large warehouse that shows the estate's ties to farming. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Inside, it is partitioned into barns and other rooms that separated storage and work.
With the rice storehouse of 1899, the household-goods store of the late Taisho period (1919 to 1926) and then the Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse in the early Showa period, the row of buildings on the west side of the estate reached its present length. Read in order of date, they show the estate being fitted out for farming over several generations.
A Lean-To That Opens to the Outside
The Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse measures 12.9 by 6.9 meters under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. Along the south side, a lean-to (Geya) one bay deep lets people come and go directly from outside the estate, so tools and crops could apparently be moved in and out without passing the front of the main house.
The walls use no plaster at all and are clad entirely in vertical boards (Tateita-bari). Set beside the plastered old storehouse and rice storehouse, it looks plainly like a working barn rather than a fire-proofed store.
Visiting
The Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse is privately owned and its interior is not open to the public. The south lean-to was built for access from outside the estate, but that does not make it a place for visitors to approach. We could not confirm how much of it can be seen from outside. Please do not enter the grounds.
Q&A
- When was the Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse built?
- In 1935. It is the newest of the eight registered buildings on the estate.
- How big is the Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse?
- It measures 12.9 by 6.9 meters over 2 storeys and covers 89 square meters, second only to the main house.
- What is the lean-to on the south side of the Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse for?
- It is one bay deep and lets people enter directly from outside the estate.
- When did the Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 23 February 2012. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a large warehouse that shows the estate's link to farming.
- Can I visit the Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse?
- It is privately owned and not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse (南久保田家住宅農業倉庫) |
|---|---|
| Location | 160-2 Yashiki, Fukunaga, Yoshii-cho, Ukiha City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 23 February 2012 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 12.9 m by 6.9 m, 2-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 89 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009233
- Cultural Heritage Online: Minamikubota Family Residence Agricultural Warehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/240016
- Minamikubota Family Residence (Ukiha City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.ukiha.fukuoka.jp/kiji0035115/index.html
- Minamikubota Family Residence (ukihalove.jp, Ukiha City tourism site, in Japanese)
- https://ukihalove.jp/contents/minamikubotakejyuutaku/
Last verified: 2026.09.28
