A Woodshed Named in the Family Records
The Nobuoka Family Residence Charcoal Shed (信岡家住宅炭小屋, Nobuoka-ke Jūtaku Sumigoya) is a single-storey timber shed of the late Edo period standing east of the main house at the Nobuoka Family Residence in Tode, Shin’ichi-cho, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008.
It runs east to west, east of the main house and north of the east storehouse. It is a small building, 6.9 metres by 3.9 metres with a building area of 27 square metres, under a gabled pantile roof, and has a section of wall attached. It was altered in the early Showa period.
Why It Was Registered
The charcoal shed was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. Because outbuildings like this survive alongside the main house and storehouses, the compound still shows how a whole household worked.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies the shed with the “east wood shed” (higashi waki kinaya) listed in an old family document titled 操出記録. Being able to match a building on site to its entry in a family record is unusual, and it makes the Nobuoka charcoal shed a concrete piece of evidence for how the family lived.
What to Look At
The timber rack
Its most distinctive feature is a rack along the south side for storing timber. Firewood and lumber could be stacked under the eaves to dry. Taken together, its present name and the “wood shed” of the old record suggest a building that handled both fuel for the kitchen and timber for repairs.
On the working side
The shed stands on the side of the main house where the earth-floored kitchen lies, with the east storehouse to its south and the well house to the southeast. Fuel, water and rice were all kept just outside the kitchen door, and the shed’s position is part of what makes the east side of the compound read as the working side.
Early Showa repairs
Built in the late Edo period, the shed was reworked in the early Showa period, a building kept in use and adapted as the household’s needs changed.
Visiting
As of October 2026 there is no notice of public access to the Nobuoka charcoal shed. It stands between the main house and the east storehouse and is unlikely to be visible from the road. Even on event days at the Nobuoka Flat Museum, check whether this part of the grounds is open.
Q&A
- When was the Nobuoka Family Residence Charcoal Shed built?
- It dates from the late Edo period and was altered in the early Showa period.
- What kind of building is the Nobuoka charcoal shed?
- It is a single-storey timber shed with a gabled pantile roof, 6.9 metres by 3.9 metres with a building area of 27 square metres, a timber rack on the south side and an attached wall.
- What is the “east wood shed” linked to the Nobuoka Family Residence Charcoal Shed?
- It is the name of a building recorded in an old Nobuoka family document titled 操出記録, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies with the present shed.
- Why is the Nobuoka Family Residence Charcoal Shed a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 18 April 2008 for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I visit the Nobuoka Family Residence Charcoal Shed?
- There was no notice of public access as of October 2026. It stands at the back of the compound’s east side and is hard to see from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Nobuoka Family Residence Charcoal Shed (信岡家住宅炭小屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2166 Tode, Shin'ichi-cho, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/4/18 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 27 square metres, with wall |
| Owner | Nobuoka Jisho Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no notice of public access) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nobuoka Family Residence Charcoal Shed (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007130
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nobuoka Family Residence Charcoal Shed (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/172432
Last verified: 2026.10.08
