Water Cistern, Hirao Family Residence
The Hirao were among the foremost landowners of Tajima, serving as great village headmen through the Edo period. Their residence in the Morio district of Toyooka spreads across about 4,000 square metres and holds some twenty buildings, from the 1896 main house down to storehouses raised in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the whole compound built up and handed on across generations.
The Structure Itself
Tucked in among the storehouses at the northwest of the main house, ringed by the new storehouse, the salt-and-miso storehouse and the ceramics storehouse, lies a stone water cistern. It measures about 1.8 metres square and 0.45 metres deep, built up from cut stone with a brick rim, and set with a drain at the north end of its west side.
That drain feeds a rainwater channel that gathers runoff from the ceramics-store forecourt and its neighbours, winding about 15 metres, with turns, to the west storehouse. It is a small piece of infrastructure, but it shows how carefully a compound of this size had to manage its water, catching rain before it could undermine the storehouse walls.
Why It Was Registered
The estate was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2008, recognising how completely the framework of a great landowner's compound, its main house, quarters, storehouses, walls and waterworks, survives here as a single ensemble. Each registered element earns its place less as a solitary monument than as one part of that larger, coherent whole.
Seeing It Today
The Hirao Family Residence remains a private home and is, as a rule, not open to the public. Visitors should not expect interior access, and the family's privacy asks for a respectful distance. The exterior and its river setting can be appreciated from the public road nearby, and travellers to this corner of Tajima can pair a passing look with the region's more accessible sights: the willow-lined hot-spring town of Kinosaki Onsen, the old castle town of Izushi with its soba and clock tower, and the columnar basalt cliffs of Genbudo Park along the Maruyama River.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hirao Family Residence Water Reservoir
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- Can I go inside the Hirao Family Residence?
- No. The residence is privately owned and generally closed to the public. You can view its exterior and river setting from the adjacent public road, but please respect the residents' privacy.
- What was this stone cistern for?
- It collected and held water within the storehouse cluster, linked to a 15-metre rainwater channel that carried runoff away to a further storehouse. It is part of the estate's practical system for managing rain and protecting the earthen storehouse walls.
- How old is this part of the estate?
- It dates to the mid-Meiji period (1868–1911). The estate as a whole was built up across generations, from Edo-period storehouses through the 1896 main house to early-Showa additions, so its elements span more than a century.
- What else can I see nearby?
- Toyooka offers Kinosaki Onsen for its hot springs, the castle town of Izushi for soba and historic streets, and Genbudo Park for its dramatic columnar basalt, all within easy reach of the Morio district.
Basic Information
| Name | Water Cistern, Hirao Family Residence (平尾家住宅水溜) |
|---|---|
| Location | 958 Ando, Morio, Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registered | 7 March 2008 (gazetted 19 March 2008) |
| Count | 1所 |
| Structure | Stone-built; area 3.2 sq m, with rainwater channel |
| Period | mid-Meiji period (1868–1911) |
| Ownership / Access | Privately owned; not open to the public |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs — 平尾家住宅水溜
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006889
- Cultural Heritage Online — Main House, Hirao Family Residence
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/186783
- The Tajima (Tajima Encyclopedia) — Hirao Family Residence
- https://the-tajima.com/spot/393/
Last verified: 2026.07.02