A Long Building Along the Road
The Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn, in the Kawara district of Nishihara Village, Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture, is a working outbuilding built in 1889 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 7 June 1999.
In Japanese it is 矢野家住宅（本宅）納屋 (naya), the barn where a farming household kept tools and produce. It stands north of the miso storehouse on the road along the front of the plot, a long, low building with a building area of 58 square metres. It is partly of 2 storeys under a pantiled roof, and the board fence beside it is included in the listing.
Plain Construction, Careful Frontage
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn is simpler than the storehouse, with walls built in shinkabe fashion. In shinkabe the posts stay visible on the wall face, the opposite of a storehouse, where thick earthen walls bury the frame.
Even so, the street front and both ends are clad in weatherboarding almost up to the eave beam. The Agency reads this as consideration for how the building looks from the road, and it was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. A working shed, but one that was dressed for the street.
A Long Wall of Boards
The Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn lays a long wall along the road. Because the boards reach nearly to the eaves, what you see from the street is mostly timber, set against the white plastered gable of the miso storehouse next door to the south. Both were built in 1889, and the contrast of plaster and boards gives the frontage its rhythm.
The record is inconsistent: the register's structure field gives the barn as stone, single storey with a partial 2nd storey, but the description in the same database calls it a shinkabe building, which does not fit stone construction. This article reports both and leaves the question open.
Visiting the Barn
The Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn faces the western road, and its street side can be seen from the public way. The interior is not open, and the ground behind it is private.
Of the three weatherboarded faces, the street front is the one you can check from the road. Mind the traffic, and keep photography to exterior shots from the road.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kumamoto
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn
- [ Kumamoto Castle & Mt. Aso Volcano Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn built?
- In 1889, the same year as the storehouse and the miso storehouse.
- How big is the Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn?
- Its building area is 58 square metres. It is a long building parallel to the road, partly of 2 storeys.
- Why is the Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- Although simpler than the storehouse, it is weatherboarded almost to the eaves on the street side and both ends, out of consideration for the view from the road. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape on 7 June 1999.
- Can I see the Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn from the road?
- Yes. It faces the road on the western side of the plot, and its street side is visible from the public way. The interior is not open.
- How are the walls of the Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn built?
- In shinkabe fashion, with the posts left visible, and clad in weatherboarding almost to the eave beam on the street front and both ends.
Basic Information
| Name | Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn |
|---|---|
| Location | 2524 Kawara, Nishihara Village, Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1999/06/07 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 58 square metres (entered in the ACA register as stone, single storey with a partial 2nd storey, tiled roof, with attached board fence) |
| Owner | Not listed in the ACA database (a Yano family home) |
| Public Access | Private home, not open to the public; exterior visible from the road |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001153
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yano Family Residence (Hontaku) Barn
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/181063
Last verified: 2026.09.24
