Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Hyogo

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

Hirayasu West Storehouse: A Square 1919 Store with a Detached Roof

A square 1919 storehouse at the Hirayasu residence in Kawanishi City Local Museum, with a detached tiled roof and stepped plaster cornices, north of the annex.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Hyogo

About the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse

The Kawanishi City Local Museum (Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse) (川西市郷土館（旧平安家住宅西蔵）) 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 just north of the annex and is square in plan.

It has a tiled roof and a building area of 22 m², and the Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives its structure as single-storey timber. Together with the annex and the Inui Storehouse, the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse closes off the western side of the estate.

A Detached Roof

The tiled roof of the West Storehouse is an Okiyane, a separately framed roof set on top of the plastered body of the storehouse. The gap between them keeps summer heat from soaking into the walls, and it is said that in a fire the roof could be let fall while the body survived.

You can sometimes see from under the eaves that body and roof are separate structures. In front of the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse, look at the point where the top of the wall meets the roof.

Plaster Cornices and a Tidy Outline

The eaves are finished with Nokijabara, bands of plaster built out in several steps along the top of the wall to give the storehouse a crisp edge. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the North and Inui storehouses are trimmed the same way.

A square plan with a stepped cornice on top gives the West Storehouse the same neat outline from every side, which is why the Agency calls it a storehouse of orderly appearance. Compare it with the North and Inui storehouses and the shared design of the Hirayasu storehouses becomes clear.

Why It Was Registered

The Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse was registered as a structure that serves as a model of design, under number 28-0018, on May 7, 1997, together with 13 other Hirayasu structures.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it among the elements that make up a Taisho-era estate. As one of the four storehouses around the courtyard, it forms the western outline of the house.

Visiting the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse

The Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse is on the west side of the Hirayasu house at the Kawanishi City Local Museum, north of the annex. Some Hirayasu storehouses are used as exhibition rooms, but we could not confirm from official sources how the interior of this one is open to visitors (checked October 2026).

The plaster cornices and the detached roof can be seen from outside; let your eye travel north from the annex. 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 West Storehouse); [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]

Q&A

QWhere is the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse?: AJust north of the annex, closing off the west side of the estate together with the annex and the Inui Storehouse.

QWhat kind of roof does the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse have?: AAn okiyane, a separately framed tiled roof set on top of the storehouse body.

QWhat decorates the eaves of the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse?: AStepped plaster cornices called nokijabara, the same as on the North and Inui storehouses.

QWhen was the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse registered?: AOn May 7, 1997, under registration number 28-0018.

QCan I go inside the Former Hirayasu Family Residence West Storehouse?: AOfficial sources do not say how 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 West 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 22 m² (single-storey timber, tiled roof)
Owner	Kawanishi City
Public Access	Open (Kawanishi City Local Museum, admission 300 yen)