A Two-Storey Barn for Farm Tools
Tottori Family Residence West Barn (鳥取家住宅西納屋, Tottori-ke Jūtaku Nishi-naya) is a late-Meiji barn in Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 October 2021.
It stands two storeys high just west of the Storehouse and was originally where the household kept its farm tools. The gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) in Sangawara-buki tile runs north to south, with a lean-to of rough timber on the east. It covers 64 square metres, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912.
The walls are Shinkabe, posts exposed and clay left at the middle coat. The entrance has no door at all. Downstairs is divided into north and south halves; upstairs is a single room.
Why It Was Registered: A Roof Frame on Show
The Tottori Family Residence West Barn was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape; the official description credits it with shaping the view of the western side of the compound.
The real interest is overhead. The roof is a Wagoya frame with two tiers of beams, sloping rafters set between them, and a base of split bamboo instead of boards, all left open with no ceiling. You can read exactly how a farm building carried the weight of a tiled roof.
In the northwest corner of the site, beside the white-walled Storehouse and Rice Storehouse, the West Barn contributes an earth-coloured wall, and the working side of the compound would look incomplete without it.
What to Look For
Through the open doorway of the Tottori Family Residence West Barn, the shadowy ground floor and the heavy upper floor make it easy to picture carts and tools going in and out.
One of the official photographs looks up into the roof from the northwest. The stacked beams, sloping rafters and bamboo base layered one above another are the most striking part of the building.
Visiting
The West Barn belongs to a private home and its interior is not open. The owner's website gives no public visiting information, so contact the owner in advance. No photography rules are posted.
The layout of the compound and visiting conditions are covered on the Tottori Family Residence page.
Q&A
- What was the Tottori Family Residence West Barn used for?
- It originally stored farm tools. The doorless entrance was presumably meant to make moving equipment in and out easier.
- Can visitors see the Tottori Family Residence West Barn?
- Its interior is not open. There is no public visiting information, so contact the owner in advance.
- What is special about the roof of the Tottori Family Residence West Barn?
- Its two-tier beam frame, sloping rafters and bamboo roof base are all left exposed, with no ceiling.
- When was the Tottori Family Residence West Barn built?
- In the late Meiji period, between 1898 and 1912, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- Why was the Tottori Family Residence West Barn registered?
- For shaping the view on the west side of the compound, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Tottori Family Residence West Barn |
|---|---|
| Location | 1764 Kasada Kasaoka Goemon, Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 37-0457 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 64 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; contact the owner in advance) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Tottori Family Residence West Barn
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014102
- Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Kagawa
- https://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/kenkyoui/shogaigakushu/bunkazai/culturalassets/culturalassets_16.html
- Guesthouse Kachoen, official site of the owner
- https://www.kachoen.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
