What Is the Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room?
The Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room (南久保田家住宅味噌部屋, Minami-Kubota-ke Jūtaku Misobeya) is a small single-storey outbuilding of the early Taisho period (1912 to 1918) just south of the main house on the Minamikubota estate in Fukunaga, Yoshii-cho, Ukiha City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 February 2012. At 27 square meters it is the second smallest of the eight registered buildings, after the rear gate.
It stands beside the water channel that runs along the south side of the main house, with its ridge running north to south.
A Small Building About Daily Life
The Agency for Cultural Affairs values the Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room as a building that conveys how an old family actually lived. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Its name marks it as a room for miso, the fermented soybean paste of the Japanese kitchen. It was probably where miso was made and where the tubs were left to mature, though we found no source that describes its use in detail.
The rice storehouse and the agricultural warehouse speak to the scale of the family's fields; the Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room belongs to the everyday work of the kitchen. Its inclusion among the eight shows that the household's work took in the preparation of food as well as the storage of the harvest.
A Door Facing the Main House
The Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room measures 6.7 by 4.0 meters. Its gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof is laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, and the entrance is in the gable end (Tsumairi). The walls are Shinkabe, white Shikkui plaster between exposed posts, with vertical boards along the base.
Inside is a bare earth floor (Doma). The door is on the north side, facing the earth-floored work area of the main house, and has a small Hisashi canopy over it. Someone stepping out of the main house kitchen would reach it in a few paces, which suggests it was placed with kitchen work in mind.
Visiting
The Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room is privately owned and its interior is not open to the public. It stands well inside the estate, beside the channel south of the main house, 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 Miso Room built?
- The Agency database dates it to the early Taisho period, 1912 to 1918.
- Where is the Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room on the estate?
- Beside the water channel that runs along the south side of the main house, with its ridge running north to south.
- Which way does the door of the Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room face?
- North, toward the earth-floored work area of the main house. It has a small canopy, and the inside is an earth floor.
- How big is the Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room?
- It measures 6.7 by 4.0 meters and covers 27 square meters on a single floor.
- Can I visit the Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room?
- It is privately owned and not open to the public. It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 February 2012.
Basic Information
| Name | Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room (南久保田家住宅味噌部屋) |
|---|---|
| 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 | 6.7 m by 4.0 m, single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 27 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009232
- Cultural Heritage Online: Minamikubota Family Residence Miso Room (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/210405
- 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
