A Farmyard across the Road
The Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed (西尾家住宅水車・牛・鶏小屋, Nishio-ke Jūtaku Suisha Ushi Torigoya) is an early Meiji-era, single-storey timber work building on the lot directly across the old San'in Road from the Nishio Family Residence in Oyamakami, Tambasasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 July 2004.
It is a single-storey building 6 and a half ken long, with a gabled Sangawara-buki tile roof and its entrance on the long side in the Hirairi manner, a building area of 65 square metres. One structure holds a waterwheel house at the east end and a cattle and chicken shed at the west. Its address is 694 Oyamakami, across from the main compound at 699.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Nishio waterwheel shed as essential to understanding how the whole compound was put together.
Why It Was Registered
The shed was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. While the house and brewery cluster south of the road, this building stands to the north and records the farm work that supported the Nishio household.
A waterwheel house and a livestock shed under one roof show another side of the family's livelihood, apart from the house and storehouses. It is the only one of the eleven registered structures concerned with animals or water power.
What to Look At
The waterwheel house
The eastern part was the waterwheel house, with the wheel itself mounted at the east end. Waterwheels of this kind often drove pounders for polishing rice or mills for grinding flour, but no record of what the Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed's wheel powered has been found.
The cattle and chicken shed
The western part, for cattle and chickens, has a higher ridge than the waterwheel house and a Geya lean-to along its south side. The cattle would most likely have worked the fields and hauled loads, and the chickens supplied eggs and meat.
Two uses, two rooflines
The building is entered from its long side and runs 6 and a half ken. Because the ridge changes height between east and west, the division between its two uses is visible from outside.
Visiting
The Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed is privately owned, and as of October 2026 there was no notice of public access.
Its own gate and wall run along the south edge of the lot, beside the old San'in Road, so from the road you see the roof over the wall. Please do not enter the lot.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed built?
- It dates from the early Meiji era and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 July 2004.
- Where is the Nishio waterwheel shed?
- On the lot at 694 Oyamakami, directly across the old San'in Road from the main Nishio compound at 699 Oyamakami.
- What kind of building is the Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed?
- A single-storey shed 6 and a half ken long with a gabled tile roof, a waterwheel house at the east end, where the wheel was mounted, and a cattle and chicken shed at the west.
- What did the waterwheel at the Nishio compound power?
- Waterwheels like this often drove rice-polishing pounders or flour mills, but no record of this wheel's use has been found.
- Can I visit the Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed?
- There was no notice of public access as of October 2026. Its roof can be seen over the wall from the old San'in Road.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed (西尾家住宅水車・牛・鶏小屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 694 Oyamakami, Tambasasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/7/23 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single storey, tiled roof, building area 65 square metres |
| Owner | Private (owner field blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (roof visible over the wall from the old San'in Road) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004283
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nishio Family Residence Waterwheel, Cattle and Chicken Shed (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/184193
Last verified: 2026.10.08
