Yano Family Residence Charcoal Barn

About the Yano Family Residence Charcoal Barn

The Yano Family Residence Charcoal Barn (箟家住宅炭納屋, Yano-ke Jūtaku Suminaya) is a single-storey wooden outbuilding of the late Meiji era (1898 to 1912) in Gogazuka 3-chome, Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture, and was entered on the register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 6, 2024. It was altered around 1918 and extended in the Showa 30s (1955 to 1964). It stands at the eastern end of the estate's north side, just east of the grain storehouse, with a building area of 17 square meters.

As its name says, the building once held charcoal. It has a gabled roof of sangawara pantiles and plastered walls. The western half of the interior is a passage and the eastern half a single room with windows on the east and south.

Of the four north-side buildings, the Yano Charcoal Barn is the only one with recorded work from three eras: Meiji, Taisho and Showa.

Why It Was Registered

The Yano Family Residence Charcoal Barn was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the nation. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it marks the northeast of the estate and, together with the storehouses to its west, forms the village streetscape along the road.

Its position at the end of the row is the key. The northeast wall turns the corner from the east side of the charcoal barn and runs on to the barn along the east edge. This modest building is the joint where the north row meets the east wall.

It also matters that fuel had a building of its own. Charcoal for cooking and heating came and went in bulk, and it made sense to keep it apart from both the main house, with its hearth, and the storehouses, which were built to keep fire out.

What to Look For

The service door on the street

The first thing to find on the Yano Charcoal Barn is the katteguchi, a service door at the east end of the north wall. Of the north-side buildings, this is the only one whose Agency description records a door on the street side, and the Agency's photograph shows exactly this door. It was presumably the way bulky supplies such as charcoal came in without passing through the formal gatehouse on the south.

A change of roof tile

The grain storehouse, lattice room and clothing storehouse to the west are roofed in heavy hongawara tiles. The charcoal barn uses lighter pantiles, which combine the flat and round tile in a single piece and cover a roof with fewer units. Where the row of storehouses gives way to the charcoal barn, the texture of the roof changes, and the switch is easy to spot from the road to the north.

Passage and room

Inside, a passage fills the western half and a single room the eastern half. Judging by the layout, the passage lies on the side of the grain storehouse's east door. The room has windows to the east and south, which suggests it was a place for work rather than simple storage. The extension of 1955 to 1964 also records that the building remained in use after the war.

Visiting

The Yano Family Residence Charcoal Barn stands on private land and its interior is closed (checked September 26, 2026).

Among the ten registered structures, however, it is one of the easiest to see. Its north wall faces the street, so the service door, the plaster and the pantiled gable are all visible from the road. Look west to compare the heavier tiles of the grain storehouse, or east to see where the northeast wall turns the corner.

The service door may still be in daily use, so please do not stand in front of it. No sign prohibits photography.