Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Hyogo

Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse)

Hirayasu North Storehouse: The Largest Storehouse, Linked to the House

The 1919 North Storehouse of the Hirayasu residence in Kawanishi City Local Museum: 60 m², two joined buildings, round gable vents and a canopy tied to the house.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Hyogo

About the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse

The Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse) (川西市郷土館（旧平安家住宅北蔵）) is an earthen-walled storehouse of 1918 to 1919 in Gezaicho, Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on May 7, 1997. It stands on the north side of the estate and is the largest of the Hirayasu storehouses.

It has a tiled roof and a building area of 60 m². The Agency for Cultural Affairs commentary calls it a 2-storey storehouse, while the structure field of the same database says single-storey timber, so the records disagree on its height. Structurally, the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse is two east-west buildings joined together.

A Storehouse Reached under Cover from the House

A canopy runs along the front of the North Storehouse, and its floor is continuous with the corridor from the main house, a point the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out.

Storehouses were normally kept apart from the house and its fires, but here a roofed floor links the two, so the family could walk from the main house to the storehouse door without getting wet. The space between the North Storehouse and the Inui Storehouse next door is also floored and roofed so that the two work as one. The estate was laid out so that you could move from the house to the northern storehouses under cover.

Round Gable Windows and Plaster Cornices

Round ventilation windows open in the gable walls of the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls them distinctive and notes how they set off the exterior. The Tatsumi Storehouse in the southeast corner has a round gable window too, a design shared across the Hirayasu storehouses.

The eaves are trimmed with Nokijabara, stepped plaster cornices, and the Agency notes that the Inui and West storehouses are finished the same way. The walls rest on footings of carefully cut stone.

Why It Was Registered

The Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse was registered as a structure that serves as a model of design, under number 28-0015, on May 7, 1997, together with 13 other Hirayasu structures.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a high-quality Taisho-era storehouse. With its two joined buildings, cut-stone footings, round gable windows and a canopy floor merged with the corridor from the house, it is the most elaborate of the Hirayasu storehouses.

Visiting the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse

The Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse is on the north side of the Hirayasu house at the Kawanishi City Local Museum. Official sources do not say whether the interior is open, so expect to see it mainly from outside and from beneath the canopy (checked October 2026).

The way the corridor and canopy floor run together is clearest from the courtyard, looking north. Then walk round to the gable end and look up at the round window. 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 Storehouse); [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]

Q&A

QHow many storeys does the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse have?: AThe Agency for Cultural Affairs commentary says 2, but the structure field of the same database says single-storey, so the records disagree.

QWhy is the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse connected to the main house?: AThe floor of the canopy along its front is continuous with the corridor that runs from the main house.

QWhat are the round windows on the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse for?: AThey are ventilation openings, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes as distinctive and decorative.

QWhen was the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse registered?: AOn May 7, 1997, under registration number 28-0015.

QCan I go inside the Former Hirayasu Family Residence North Storehouse?: AOfficial 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 Storehouse)
Location	4-1 Gezaicho, Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure)
Year Designated	1997 (registered)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Building area 60 m² (structure field: single-storey timber; commentary: 2-storey storehouse; tiled roof)
Owner	Kawanishi City
Public Access	Open (Kawanishi City Local Museum, admission 300 yen)