A Timber Miso Store Between Earthen Ones
The Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse (赤木家住宅西味噌蔵, Akagi-ke Jūtaku Nishi Misogura) is a single-storey timber storehouse for miso from the late Meiji period on the west side of the Akagi estate at 972 Hikino in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 March 2006.
It stands hard against the south side of the west storehouse, and the rice store presses against its own south wall in turn. Both neighbours are thick-walled earthen stores; the Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse is not. It is called a kura, a storehouse, but it is built of timber.
It measures 4 and a half bays by 2 bays, with a building area of 39 square metres, under a gabled roof of pantiles. A lean-to eave half a bay deep shelters its east side, the side that faces into the compound.
Two Rooms, Two Pairs of Sliding Doors
The interior is split into 2 rooms, each closed by a pair of sliding doors that part in the middle. With both leaves pushed aside, the opening is wide enough to roll a cask through.
The west wall, on the property line, has windows in 3 places. Few stores in the row put openings on their outer face.
A separate building just for making and maturing miso says something about a large farming household that fed many people from its own stores.
Part of a Continuous Line
The Agency for Cultural Affairs values the Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse for helping to create the unbroken run of stores along the west side. What matters is less the building on its own than its place in a line running from the west storehouse down to the warehouse.
It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Seeing the Miso Storehouse
The miso store stands on the west side of the estate with its doors and eave facing into the compound, so its front can be seen only from inside the grounds.
The residence is a family home and is generally closed to the public, and no opening of the interior has been announced. Photography rules are not published; ask when you visit.
Directions and the terms for visiting the property are on the Akagi Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on 2 March 2006, together with the other 15 registered structures of the residence.
- Is the Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse an earthen storehouse?
- No. Despite the name, it is a single-storey timber building, set between two earthen-walled stores: the west storehouse to the north and the rice store to the south.
- How large is the Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse?
- It measures 4 and a half by 2 bays with a building area of 39 square metres, plus a lean-to eave half a bay deep on the east side.
- What is inside the Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse?
- Two rooms, each with a pair of sliding doors that part in the middle. The west wall on the property line has windows in 3 places.
- Can visitors see the Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse?
- Its front faces into the compound, the residence is generally closed, and no interior opening has been announced. See the Akagi Family Residence page for visiting terms.
Basic Information
| Name | Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse (赤木家住宅西味噌蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 972 Hikino, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/03/02 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, gabled, pantiled; 4 and a half by 2 bays; building area 39 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the ACA database |
| Public Access | No announced interior opening; residence generally closed |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse (赤木家住宅西味噌蔵)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005315
- Cultural Heritage Online: Akagi Family Residence West Miso Storehouse (赤木家住宅西味噌蔵)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/185223
- Tajima no Hyakka Jiten (Tanshin Regional Promotion Fund): Akagi Family Residence (赤木家住宅)
- https://tanshin-kikin.jp/tajima/564
Last verified: 2026.09.26
