A long, narrow building at the north-east corner
The Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage (宮本家住宅炭・味噌小屋及び車庫, Miyamotoke Jūtaku Sumi Miso Goya oyobi Shako) is an early Meiji period building of 1868 to 1911 at Hojo in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 July 2003. It occupies the north-east corner of the compound, its ridge running the long way from north to south.
The floor area is 31 square metres. As the name announces, one structure holds two unlike functions: the northern half stored charcoal and miso, the southern half is a garage, and construction and finish change where they meet.
The north is built in Shinkabe, with the posts left visible, under Sangawara-buki pantiles. The south is boarded in Shitami-itabari and roofed in sheet metal. The whole is a single-storey timber building with a 2-storey portion, Kirizuma-zukuri and Hirairi, with a pentice along the west face. At the north end the gable wall turns to the street, set to balance the gate a short way west of it.
Why a service building was registered
The registration number is No. 08-0086, entered under the criterion for buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country.
Charcoal was fuel for cooking and heating; miso was made at home and kept through the year. For a family whose trade was brewing and selling soy sauce, this was not commercial plant but domestic infrastructure. Of the 8 registered buildings at Hojo, the Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage sits closest to ordinary daily life.
A garage and a sheet-metal roof sit oddly with an early Meiji construction date, and that gap is the interesting part. The building kept working while what it was needed for changed, and the record of that is written on its outside. The national description notes that the gable end at the north was handled to sit comfortably with the gate. Even a back-of-house structure was judged on how it met the street.
What to look for
Approach from the north. What faces the street is the gable end, so the section through a long thin building becomes its public front, and with nothing built to the east the outline stands clear.
Find the line where the finishes change. Exposed posts on one side, boarding on the other; clay tiles giving way to metal sheet. Where the materials swap over, the use of the building swaps over too.
The pentice on the west face was built for the people working there. Charcoal is heavy and sacks of miso are heavier, and being able to move them in and out under cover on a wet day mattered. The Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage carries almost no ornament, yet it is full of small accommodations to the bodies that used it.
Visiting
This building is part of a privately owned compound and the interior is closed. Its position at the north-east corner helps, though: the gable wall at the north end faces the public road, so part of the exterior can be seen from the street.
There are no opening hours and no charge. Look at the gate and the shop storehouse first, then walk a few paces east and the gable end comes into view.
Photography from the road is fine. The grounds cannot be entered, so the southern half and the interior of the Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage stay out of reach. In years when the shop storehouse opens for autumn events, staff on site can sometimes explain how the compound is laid out; the Hojo town-building association announces the dates.
Getting here means taking a bus. The Oda Shuttle out of Tsukuba Station on the Tsukuba Express runs about 45 minutes, and the stop to use is Hojo Nakamachi. The Hokubu Shuttle instead reaches Tsukuba Koryu Center in about 30 minutes, about 10 minutes short of the town on foot. From Tsuchiura Station, reckon on about 40 minutes by Kantetsu Purple Bus.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Ibaraki
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage
- [ Hitachi Seaside Park Nemophila Flower Tours ]
Q&A
- Can the Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage be visited?
- The interior is closed. Because it stands at the north-east corner with its gable end to the road, part of the exterior can be seen from the street free of charge.
- What was the Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage used for?
- The northern half stored charcoal and miso, and the southern half serves as a garage. The building covers 31 square metres and changes construction between the two.
- How old is the Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage?
- It dates from the early Meiji period, 1868 to 1911, and was registered on 1 July 2003 as No. 08-0086.
- What kind of roof does the Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage have?
- Pantiles over the northern half and sheet metal over the southern half, on a gabled form with a pentice on the west and the gable end facing the street.
- How do I reach the Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage?
- Ride the Oda Shuttle from Tsukuba Station for about 45 minutes and get off at Hojo Nakamachi. The Kantetsu Purple Bus from Tsuchiura Station takes about 40 minutes.
Basic Information
| Name | Miyamoto Family Residence Charcoal and Miso Shed and Garage |
|---|---|
| Location | 188 Hojo, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 1 July 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 31 square metres, earth-walled and single-storey timber construction with a 2-storey portion |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Interior closed; the gable end at the north can be seen from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Miyamotoke Jutaku Sumi Miso Goya oyobi Shako
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003364
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Cultural Properties of Ibaraki: Miyamotoke Jutaku Misegura and seven other buildings
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6404/
- Tsukuba City, Protection of Cultural Properties (list of registered tangible cultural properties)
- https://www.city.tsukuba.lg.jp/kankobunka/bunka/rekishi/1001638.html
- Tsukuba Sanroku Hojo, Hojo Town Development Association: Highlights
- https://tsukuba-hojo.jp/highlights/
- Tsukuba-michi Hojo Sanpo, Hojo Town Development Association: Access
- https://old.tsukuba-hojo.jp/access.html
Last verified: 2026.09.07