Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Gunma

Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed

Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed: A Long Barn on a Stone Bank

A 7-ken Meiji storage building on the south edge of the Fujiu estate in Kiryu, Gunma, set on a cobblestone channel bank and moved in 1973. Viewable from the street.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Gunma

Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed: A Long Barn on a Channel Bank

The Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed (藤生家住宅物置, Fujiu-ke Jūtaku Monooki) is a single-story timber storage building of the early Meiji era on the southwest side of the Fujiu family estate in Hirosawa-chō, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture; it was moved intact in 1973 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 15, 2007.

It runs east and west, 7 ken long and 2.5 ken deep, with a building area of 62 square meters, the largest Fujiu building after the main house and the retirement house. The gabled roof is covered in pantiles and framed in the Wagoya manner, with short struts rising from the tie beams to carry the purlins.

A Building Set on the Water’s Edge

The Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed stands on a foundation of river cobbles that also forms the retaining bank of the water channel along the south of the estate. Sill and channel wall are one and the same, so the building sits right where the property meets the flowing water.

The walls have exposed posts and white Shikkui plaster, with batten-held clapboard around the base. The east gable end, which takes more of the weather, is boarded over completely. The register records the shed’s early Meiji construction and a move by hikiya in 1973, the same year the front gate on the south side was shifted when the road was widened.

Why It Was Registered

The Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with giving the south face of the estate its solid, substantial look.

A 7-ken run of white wall over a dark boarded base stretches level along the stone bank. West of the front gate, it is this long building that widens the southern face of the compound.

Seeing the Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed

Because it lines the south edge of the property, the Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed is, with the front gate, one of the easiest Fujiu buildings to see from outside. View it from the south to understand how the building and the stone bank work together.

The shed and grounds are part of a private home and are not open. Please look from the road only and keep clear of traffic and the residents when photographing.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed; [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]

Q&A

QWhere does the Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed stand?: AOn the southwest side of the estate, on a cobblestone foundation that doubles as the retaining bank of the water channel to the south.

QHow large is the Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed?: AIt is a single-story timber building 7 by 2.5 ken, with a building area of 62 square meters.

QHas the Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed ever been moved?: AYes. The register records that it was moved by hikiya in 1973. It was originally built in the early Meiji era.

QHow are the walls of the Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed finished?: AWhite lime plaster between exposed posts, with clapboard held by battens at the base; the east gable end is covered entirely in clapboard.

QCan I see the Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed from the road?: AYes. It stands on the south edge of the property and is easy to see from outside, though the interior and grounds are not open.

Basic Information

Name	Fujiu Family Residence Storage Shed
Location	5-1179 Hirosawacho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building)
Year Designated	Registered May 15, 2007 (54th round, registration no. 10-0218)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Building area 62 square meters; 7 by 2.5 ken
Owner	Private owner
Public Access	Not open to the public (private residence)