The Barn and Rice Store
The Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn (野村隆男家住宅納屋, Nomura Takao-ke Jūtaku Naya) is a late Edo-period (1830–1867) outbuilding in Doi Kakuchū, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 12 July 2005. It is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 27 square metres, registered as number 39-0191.
It stands north-west of the main house, along the western boundary, and is made up of two parts, a storeroom and a rice store, where the household kept its tools and its rice.
Part of the Back Yard
The Agency for Cultural Affairs values the Nomura barn as one of the elements that enclose the back yard. North of the main house, the barn, the toilet and bath building, the firewood shed and the well together form the working side of the household, and the barn is effectively the yard's western wall.
It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a piece of the everyday rather than the formal side of a samurai house.
Two Roofs, One Building
The southern part of the Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn is a storeroom of 2 by 2 Ken, with a gabled kirizuma roof of pantiles. North of it is a rice store of 2 by 1 ken, also gabled and pantiled, joined on with its ridge set a step lower, the arrangement known as Ochimune.
From the east you can see the ridge drop from the wider storeroom to the narrower rice store. The two uses share one building, but the change in roof height marks where one ends and the other begins.
On the east side a lean-to roof shelters an earth-floored strip in front of the doors, so goods could be moved in and out without getting wet.
Beyond the rice store to the north, a short roofed passage leads on to the firewood shed, so the outbuildings on the western edge run together in a single line.
Seeing the Barn
The Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn is best seen from the back yard north of the main house, where the sheltered doorways and the stepped roof line are visible together.
Reach the yard by walking round the side of the main house. Follow the guidance on site as to how much of the interior you may look into.
Q&A
- Where is the Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn?
- It stands north-west of the main house along the western edge of the plot, running north to south. The firewood shed continues to its north, beyond a short roofed passage.
- What does the Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn look like?
- It is a single-storey building made of a 2-by-2-ken storeroom with a 2-by-1-ken rice store joined on at a lower ridge. Both have gabled pantile roofs, and a lean-to on the east side shelters the doors.
- Why is the Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It is valued as one of the buildings enclosing the back yard behind the main house. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- When was the Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn built and registered?
- The national database dates it to the late Edo period (1830–1867). It was registered on 12 July 2005 as number 39-0191.
- Can you visit the Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn?
- Yes. The residence is owned by Aki City and open free of charge, roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day according to the city. The east side, seen from the back yard, is the best view.
Basic Information
| Name | Nomura Takao Family Residence Barn |
|---|---|
| Location | 994 Doi, Aki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 12 July 2005 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 27 square metres |
| Owner | Aki City |
| Public Access | Open (free, about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily) |
References
- 野村隆男家住宅納屋 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004845
- 野村隆男家住宅納屋 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/151455
- Aki City Doi Kakuchu Preservation District (Aki City)
- https://www.city.aki.kochi.jp/life/dtl.php?hdnKey=1381
Last verified: 2026.09.29
