A store at the south corner
The grain storehouse of the Otoshi residence stands at the southern end of the compound in Shinnobe, Befu, at the re-entrant corner where the south-east and south-west faces of the site meet. It closes that corner of the estate.
It is a gabled store in sangawara pantile, entered on the long side, three and a half bays by two, with a building area of 29 square metres. Rather than standing alone, its roof is built as one continuous plane with the carpenter's room that adjoins it to the north-east, so the two read as a single mass from outside.
Why it is registered
The grain store was registered on 18 November 1999 as part of the nine-building Otoshi group. In a great headman's household, grain was both sustenance and a measure of the family's role in the rural economy, and a dedicated store for it was a working necessity.
Its value in the ensemble is as one of the service buildings that ring the compound, and as a piece of the street edge: sharing a roof with the workshop, it helps knit the south side of the estate into a continuous built line rather than a scatter of separate sheds.
What to look for
On the street side, the wall is clad in vertical boarding below a plastered eave course, a plainer treatment than the plastered storehouses elsewhere on the site. Follow the roof to see how it runs on into the carpenter's room without a break.
The residence is private and not open for regular visits, but this store sits on the outer edge of the compound, so its board-clad wall and shared roofline can be read from the surrounding street.
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Q&A
- Where does it stand?
- At the south corner of the compound, where the south-east and south-west faces meet.
- What is unusual about its roof?
- It is built as one continuous plane with the adjoining carpenter's room.
- How is the street wall finished?
- In vertical boarding below a plastered eave course, a plain, practical surface.
- Can it be seen?
- Its outer wall and roof can be read from the street; the residence itself is private.
Basic Information
| Name | Otoshi Family Residence Grain Storehouse (Otoshike Jutaku Kokumotsugura) |
|---|---|
| Location | 881 Shinnobe, Befu-cho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Registered | 18 November 1999 |
| Structure | Wooden, one storey, sangawara-tiled gable roof, side entrance, vertical board street wall; building area approx. 29 sq m; 1 building |
| Period | Edo period, 19th century |
| Access | Outer wall viewable from the street; residence private |
References
- Kakogawa City — Otoshi Family Residence, nine Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.kakogawa.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyouiku/kakuka/kyoikushidobu/bunkazai_cyosa/bunkazai/kunitourokukaisetu/kunitourokuootosikejuutaku.html
- Kakogawa City — List of designated and registered cultural properties
- https://www.city.kakogawa.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyouiku/kakuka/kyoikushidobu/bunkazai_cyosa/bunkazai/siteitourokubunkazaiitiran20230320.html
- Kakogawa City — Registered cultural properties, individual entries
- https://www.city.kakogawa.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyouiku/kakuka/kyoikushidobu/bunkazai_cyosa/bunkazai/kunitourokukaisetu/index.html
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — Cultural Properties
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/
Last verified: 2026.07.04