The Link Between Two Storehouses
The Murakami Family Residence Barn (村上家住宅納屋, Murakami-ke Jūtaku Naya) is a single-storey timber building of the late Meiji period (1898–1911) in Imazu-cho, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 September 2010 under registration number 34-0099.
It stands on the north side of the estate, filling the gap between the clothing storehouse to the west and the rice storehouse to the east. It measures 5.0 metres by 4.9 metres, with a footprint of 31 square metres. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the roof as ryōsage-zukuri: a double-pitched roof slung between the two neighbouring stores.
Sources disagree on its date. The national register says late Meiji, while Fukuyama City's heritage portal says early Meiji. Published material does not allow a choice between them.
Why It Was Registered
For a building called a barn, the Murakami Family Residence Barn has an unexpected interior: an alcove (toko) and built-in cupboards survive, traces of its use as a terakoya, one of the small private schools where children learned reading and arithmetic. Terakoya gave way to state schools after the education code of 1872, so the tradition of school use sits more comfortably with the city's early Meiji date. No source we found confirms how the building's date and its school use fit together.
The other point of interest is how the barn changes its finish from one side to the other. The face turned toward the inside of the compound has a pantiled roof and Shinkabe walls with the posts left exposed. The face turned outward, to the north, has full round-and-flat tiling and thick walls that bury the posts entirely.
Dressed on its outer side like the storehouses, the barn merges with them into one range and gives the north face of the estate its character. It was registered, like the other seven, for its contribution to the historic landscape, and here that contribution is the seam that holds the northern range together.
What to Look For
The Murakami Family Residence Barn looks like two different buildings depending on where you stand. From inside the compound, it is a light single-storey structure with posts and white wall panels in a grid. From the lane to the north, it is hard to tell apart from the storehouses: thick walls under heavy tiles.
Switching roof tiles partway round a single small building only makes sense if appearances from outside mattered. Even this modest outbuilding was finished with the look of the whole estate in mind.
Visiting
The Murakami Family Residence Barn stands inside a private residence and its interior, with the alcove and cupboards, is not open to the public. As of September 2026 there were no announced visit arrangements. Its north face looks outward, but please do not enter the grounds or photograph at close range. The Murakami Family Residence page covers the estate layout and directions.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Murakami Family Residence Barn?
- It is inside a private residence and not open to the public. As of September 2026 there were no announced visit arrangements.
- When was the Murakami Family Residence Barn built?
- The national register says late Meiji (1898–1911), while Fukuyama City says early Meiji. The sources disagree.
- Was the Murakami Family Residence Barn really used as a school?
- An alcove and cupboards remain inside, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes them as traces of use as a terakoya, a small private school. How long it served that purpose is not known.
- How big is the Murakami Family Residence Barn?
- It is a single-storey timber building of 5.0 metres by 4.9 metres, with a building area of 31 square metres.
- Where does the Murakami Family Residence Barn stand?
- On the north side of the estate, between the clothing storehouse and the rice storehouse, linking the two.
Basic Information
| Name | Murakami Family Residence Barn (村上家住宅納屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1929 Naganami, Imazu-cho, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 34-0099 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/9/10 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 31 square metres (5.0 metres by 4.9 metres) |
| Owner | Not listed (Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Private residence; interior not open, no public opening announced |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Murakami Family Residence Barn
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008371
- Cultural Heritage Online: Murakami Family Residence Barn
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/212933
- Fukuyama Cultural Properties Navi (Fukuyama City): Murakami Family Residence Main House and seven others
- https://fukubun.net/ja/collection/692
Last verified: 2026.09.24
