What the Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room Is
The Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room (島内克之家住宅納屋及び蚕室) is a two-storey timber outbuilding of 1911 in Kamioka, Noichi-cho, Konan City, Kochi Prefecture, combining a room for raising silkworms at its north end with a barn to the south, and was listed as Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 June 2002.
It runs north to south, continuing the line of the storehouse to its north, southwest of the main house. The building is long and narrow, 11 Ken by 2 ken, with a building area of 88 square metres under a tiled roof.
The northern 6 ken rise to two storeys and hold the silkworm room; the rest is a single-storey barn. On the east side, facing the garden, the roof is carried down low over the wall.
Why It Was Listed
The Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs entry singles out the west elevation. A boarded base with an exposed timber frame, Shinkabe, above it gives character, together with the storehouse next door, to the scene along the water channel that bounds the property on the west. From the channel side the storehouse's white plaster and this building's framed wall read as one continuous frontage.
The silkworm room says a good deal about the household. Sericulture was concentrated upstairs in an outbuilding, with the barn below, which marks this as the estate's working building for both farm and silk. Of the seven registered structures at the Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence, it is the one most directly tied to how the family made its living.
What to Look For
Start with the step in the roofline of the Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room. The northern 6 ken are two storeys, the southern part is one, so partway along a single ridge the building drops a level, and the point where its use changes is visible from outside.
The west wall is boarded below and shows its posts above. The storehouse just to the north is sealed in plaster; here the timber frame is left on view. Seen side by side along the channel, the two buildings of the same year show two very different ideas of how a wall should be finished.
On the garden side the roof is swept down low to the east, which leaves a sheltered strip under the eaves where work could go on in wet weather. Closed wall to the channel, open eaves to the garden: the building faces in two directions at once.
Visiting
The Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room stands on private land and is not open. Neither the Konan City nor the Kochi Prefecture cultural property lists give any visiting information (checked 26 September 2026).
The side to look from is the west, where the building faces the water channel and, with the storehouse, forms the frontage the official description praises. Whether there is a walkable path along the channel has not been confirmed. The garden side faces into the compound and cannot be seen from outside.
No notice about photography was found. Keep to the outside of the property and be discreet.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- When was the Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room built?
- In 1911, the same year as the storehouse, gatehouse, walls and pond on the estate.
- Where is the silkworm room in the Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room?
- In the northern 6 ken of the 11-ken building, which rise to two storeys. The southern part is a single-storey barn.
- What are the walls of the Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room like?
- On the west side, a boarded base with an exposed timber frame above, in contrast with the plastered walls of the storehouse next to it.
- Why was the Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room registered?
- For its contribution to the historic landscape. With the storehouse, it shapes the scenery along the channel on the west side of the estate.
- Can the Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room be visited?
- The interior is closed. The west face looks onto the channel, but whether there is a public vantage point there needs checking on site.
Basic Information
| Name | Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room (島内克之家住宅納屋及び蚕室) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2621 Kamioka, Noichi-cho, Konan City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), register no. 39-0050 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/6/25 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 88 square metres |
| Owner | Private (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no visiting information published) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Shimanouchi Katsuyuki Family Residence Barn and Silkworm-Rearing Room (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002859
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures) in Kochi Prefecture (Kochi Prefectural Government)
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
- List of National, Prefectural and City Cultural Properties (Konan City Board of Education)
- https://www.city.kochi-konan.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyoikuiinkaishogaigakushuka/rekishi_bunkazai/2/2189.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
