What Is the Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate?
The Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate (南久保田家住宅材木置場及び脇門, Minami-Kubota-ke Jūtaku Zaimoku Okiba oyobi Wakimon) is an outbuilding of around 1915 on the southeast side 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 single-storey timber range 23.5 meters long, covering 44 square meters.
As the name says, a lumber shed and a side gate were registered together as one structure. Built at about the same time as the 1915 main house, the Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate shows that the southeast front of the estate was laid out when the house went up.
Show on One Side, Storage on the Other
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate as a building that serves both as part of the estate's formal front and as a working store. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
On the side that faces the front garden, the lumber shed is finished in white Shikkui plaster and joins the view of the estate's façade. The back is left open, with no wall at all, so timber can be stacked straight inside. The same building shows a finished face to the garden and a working face behind.
The name tells us it held lumber, but we found no record of what the timber was for.
Side Room, Side Gate, Lumber Shed
The Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate starts with a 5-mat side room at the southeast corner of the main house. A side gate opens just east of it, and from there the lumber shed turns a right angle and runs on. From the side room to the far end the range measures 23.5 meters, all under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles.
Three quite different parts, a room, a gate and a shed, are tied together by one continuous roofline. A room placed beside a gate would have let someone receive and keep an eye on callers, though we found no source that describes how it was used.
Visiting
The Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate is privately owned and not open to the public. The side gate is one of the entrances to a private home, not a way in for visitors. Its garden side faces into the estate, and 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 Lumber Shed and Side Gate built?
- Around 1915, at about the same time as the main house.
- How is the Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate laid out?
- A 5-mat side room at the southeast corner of the main house, a side gate east of it, and a lumber shed that turns a right angle from there, 23.5 meters in all.
- What is the lumber shed of the Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate like?
- Its front-garden side is plastered white, while the back is left open to hold timber.
- When did the Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 23 February 2012. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as combining the estate's formal front with practical storage.
- Can I walk through the side gate of the Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate?
- No. It is an entrance to a private home, and the estate is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate (南久保田家住宅材木置場及び脇門) |
|---|---|
| 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 | 23.5 m long, single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 44 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009234
- Cultural Heritage Online: Minamikubota Family Residence Lumber Shed and Side Gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/176877
- 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
