What Is the Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
The Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse (南久保田家住宅米蔵, Minami-Kubota-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is an 1899 rice store in the northwest 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 timber building, single-storey with part 2-storey, covering 69 square meters.
Its ridge runs north to south over a footprint of 9.9 by 6.9 meters. The early Meiji old storehouse stands just to the east and the Tsukiatari Storehouse to the south, so the Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse caps the northern end of the row of storehouses along the west side of the estate.
A Tall Store for the Harvest
The Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles it out as a tall rice storehouse that conveys the layout of a Meiji-period household. Tall here means that the eaves and ridge rise high in relation to the floor plan, giving the building a lofty profile.
Ukiha City's tourism site describes the estate as the home of a family descended from wealthy early-modern farmers. A rice store holds the harvest in stacked straw bales, so its volume tracks the scale of the family's crop, and a store this tall suggests how closely the household's life was bound up with rice.
Stone Footings and a Gable-End Door
The Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse sits on a foundation of stones laid in a continuous band, which lifts the timber frame off the ground.
The roof is a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri in Sangawara-buki pantiles, and the door opens in the triangular gable end (Tsumairi). The walls are Shinkabe, with the posts left visible between panels of white Shikkui plaster, but the north wall alone is clad in overlapping weatherboards. It is the only storehouse on the estate with weatherboarding. Inside, the ground floor is an earth-floored Doma, with a loft over part of it.
Visiting
The Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse is privately owned and its interior is not open to the public. Although it occupies the northwest corner, it sits inside the walls and grove, 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 Rice Storehouse built?
- In 1899. It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 February 2012.
- Where does the Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse stand on the estate?
- In the northwest corner, with its ridge running north to south. The old storehouse is to the east and the Tsukiatari Storehouse to the south.
- What are the walls of the Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse like?
- Plastered between exposed posts, except the north wall, which has weatherboarding. No other storehouse on the estate uses weatherboards.
- Why was the Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it is a tall rice storehouse that conveys the layout of a Meiji-period household.
- Can I see inside the Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned and not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse (南久保田家住宅米蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 | 9.9 m by 6.9 m, timber, single-storey with part 2-storey, tiled roof, building area 69 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009229
- Cultural Heritage Online: Minamikubota Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/229102
- 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
