Shioda Family Residence East Annex: A Building Said to Have Begun as a Shop
Along the Umaki River in the Maki district of Shodoshima, Kagawa Prefecture, a low single-storey building stands to the north of the south storehouse, the two separated by a small courtyard garden. This is the east annex of the Shioda Family Residence, part of the compound of the family behind Yamasan Soy Sauce, and it carries an intriguing tradition: it is said to have originally served as a shop. The building dates from the early Showa period.
It runs north to south under a hongawara-tiled roof of kata-irimoya form, a half-hipped-gable profile. Lean-to roofs are fixed to both the north and south gable ends. On the river-facing west side, toward the north, an eyebrow eave known as a mayubisashi shelters a latticed koshi window. The base is laid in granite paving and the lower wall is boarded, so that the annex forms a continuous scene with the fences to either side.
Why It Was Registered
The east annex was entered on the national register of Tangible Cultural Properties on 25 June 2002, in the thirty-third round, for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its registration recognizes how it works as one link in the riverside wall of the compound rather than as a freestanding monument.
The tradition that the building once functioned as a shop should be treated as just that, a tradition rather than a documented fact, and the record notes it as something handed down. Even so, the detail is worth carrying in mind as you look at the west front. A lattice window under an eyebrow eave, opening toward the river and the passing lane, is exactly the kind of feature a small commercial frontage might have used, and it hints at how a working household in a brewing town mixed private and public functions along a single street.
What to Look For
Give the west face your attention. The mayubisashi eave casts a shadow over the lattice window below it, and the pairing gives this side of the annex a quiet, watchful character facing the water. The kata-irimoya roof, half hipped and half gabled, reads differently from the plain gables of the storehouses nearby, so the annex adds variety to the compound's roofline.
Look, too, at how the building sits between fences. The granite paving and boarded dado tie it into the walls on either hand, so the annex, the fences, and the courtyard garden behind read as one composed edge along the river. Because the residence is private and still in use, the annex is viewed from the riverside lane; the streets of Hishio no Sato reward an unhurried walk.
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Q&A
- Was the east annex really a shop?
- It is said to have originally been a shop, and the record notes this as a tradition rather than a confirmed fact. The lattice window facing the river fits that story.
- What is a mayubisashi?
- An eyebrow eave, a small projecting hood set above a window. Here it shelters a latticed koshi window on the west, river-facing side.
- How does the roof differ from the storehouses nearby?
- The annex has a kata-irimoya roof, half hipped and half gabled, which contrasts with the plain gable roofs of the storehouses.
- When was it registered?
- On 25 June 2002, together with the other early-Showa Shioda structures, for its role in the historic landscape.
- Can I look inside?
- No; it is private property in daily use. The exterior is best seen from the riverside path along the Umaki River.
Basic Information
| Name | Shioda Family Residence East Annex |
|---|---|
| Location | 140-2 Ishii-ko, Noma, Shodoshima-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Registration date | 25 June 2002 (Heisei 14), 33rd round |
| Count | One building |
| Period | Early Showa |
| Structure | Wood, single storey; tiled roof; building area about 49 sq m |
| Owner and use | Yamasan Soy Sauce (private, operating property) |
| Access | Exterior only, viewable from the riverside path |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002829
- Cultural Heritage Online, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/193829
- Yamasan Soy Sauce, Shodoshima Town
- https://www.town.shodoshima.lg.jp/kanko/miru/sangyo/yamasan.html
- Hishio no Sato Industrial Heritage, Shodoshima Town
- https://www.town.shodoshima.lg.jp/gyousei/kakuka/shogaigakushuka/2/1/3151.html
Last verified: 2026.07.10