About the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn
The Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn) (川西市郷土館（旧平安家住宅北納屋）) is a single-storey timber barn of 1918 to 1919 in Gezaicho, Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on May 7, 1997. It is a small board-walled building on the north side of the Hirayasu estate.
It has a tiled roof and a building area of 15 m², and the Agency for Cultural Affairs records it with a roofed wall attached: a tall wall with a tiled roof runs off to the east. The Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn belongs to the back of the estate, the side guests seldom saw.
A Single Earthen-Floored Room
Inside, the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn is one undivided room with an earthen Doma floor. With no raised floor, it would have served for storing tools, firewood or produce and for work that needed space.
Its walls are boarded rather than plastered. Among the white-walled storehouses of the Hirayasu estate, this plain timber barn is noticeably more modest in colour and texture, and its lower standing shows in its looks.
Brackets under the South Eave
The North Barn has a gabled roof, and on the south slope the eave is carried on Udeki, beams that project from the posts to support the eave plate and let the roof reach further out.
Plain as the barn is, the eave was not skimped, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs makes a point of this detail. From the south side, look up under the eave to see the row of brackets standing out from the posts.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn was registered as a structure that serves as a model of design, under number 28-0014, on May 7, 1997, together with 13 other Hirayasu structures.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs regards it as necessary for understanding how the private, back part of the estate was arranged. Because a work building at the far north survives along with the showpieces at the front, you can trace how the whole estate was used.
Visiting the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn
The Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn is on the north side of the Kawanishi City Local Museum grounds. Official sources do not say whether the interior is open, so expect to view it mainly from outside (checked October 2026).
From the south you can take in the board walls, the bracketed eave and the tall wall running east all at once. Ask at reception about photography. Opening days, admission and directions are on the Kawanishi City Local Museum page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn)
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- Where is the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn?
- On the north side of the Hirayasu estate, with a tall tiled-roof wall running east from it.
- What is inside the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn?
- A single undivided room with an earthen floor.
- What should I look for at the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn?
- The board walls and the brackets that carry the eave on the south side of its gabled roof.
- When was the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn registered?
- On May 7, 1997, under registration number 28-0014.
- Can I go inside the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn?
- Official sources do not say whether the interior is open; the exterior can be seen within the Kawanishi City Local Museum grounds (checked October 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Barn) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4-1 Gezaicho, Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 1997 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 15 m² (single-storey timber with roofed wall, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Kawanishi City |
| Public Access | Open (Kawanishi City Local Museum, admission 300 yen) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 川西市郷土館（旧平安家住宅北納屋）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000150
- Kawanishi City: Guide to the Kyodokan Facilities
- https://www.city.kawanishi.hyogo.jp/shiseijoho/shokai/kankouannai/1003058/kyodokan_syosai.html
- Kawanishi City: Kyodokan (Local Museum)
- https://www.city.kawanishi.hyogo.jp/shiseijoho/shokai/kankouannai/1003058/kankou_kyodo.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
