Southeast of the gatehouse
The Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse (平尾家住宅米蔵) in Morio, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, is the storehouse for rice, built in the mid-Meiji era, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 7, 2008 (number 28-0330).
The Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse stands southeast of the gatehouse on an east-west ridge. For a great landowning family, rice was wealth itself, and the grain from the household's harvests and tenants' rents was presumably stored here.
The carpenters' shed stands to the east, the roof of the well house continues from the storehouse's south pent roof, and the outer wall runs from here to the east gate.
Built to the same pattern
The Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse is a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse of 3 bays by 2 under a floating gabled roof of pantiles, with pent roofs on the north and south and a building area of 24 m². The door is on the north side, and there is a window in the west wall of the upper floor.
Outside it follows the same pattern as the tool storehouse: white plaster with a mortar skirting on 2 courses of cut stone.
A consistent front
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that sharing one specification with the tool storehouse gives the frontage its unity. With the tool and lower storehouses to the west of the gatehouse and the rice storehouse to the east, white walls frame the whole southern side.
Visiting
The Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse is on the street side and can be seen from the road above the outer wall; the interior is not open.
The story of the estate, what can be seen from the road and directions are on the Hirao Family Residence page.
Q&A
- Where is the Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- On the south side of the Hirao estate, southeast of the gatehouse.
- When was the Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On March 7, 2008, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 28-0330. It dates from the mid-Meiji era.
- How is the Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse finished?
- White plaster with a mortar skirting on 2 courses of cut stone, matching the tool storehouse.
- How big is the Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- A 2-storey storehouse of 3 bays by 2, with a building area of 24 m².
- Can visitors see the Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- Its exterior can be seen from the road; the interior is closed.
Basic Information
| Name | Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse (平尾家住宅米蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 958 Ando, Morio, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 28-0330 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/03/07 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof; building area 24 m² |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006906
- Cultural Heritage Online — Hirao Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/142668
- Tajima Encyclopedia (Tanshin Regional Promotion Fund) — Hirao Family Residence
- https://tanshin-kikin.jp/tajima/568
Last verified: 2026.10.02
