Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Stone Utility Pole: the family that wired the town
The Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Stone Utility Pole (蔵の郷土館齋理屋敷電線用石柱) in Marumori, Miyagi Prefecture, is a granite power pole from the early Showa period (1926–1945), registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 26, 2011.
It rises 5.4 metres from a round stone base, cut from Marumori granite, with a ceramic insulator fixed about halfway up. It stands close by the Outdoor Lamp, to its southeast, and northwest of the Stone Bathhouse.
Why a utility pole was registered
There is a story behind it. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Saito family financed an electric light company in the Taisho era that supplied power to the town. The museum names it as Kiyotaki Dento, one of several ventures the family set up for Marumori's benefit.
A household that brought electricity to its town chose to carry the wires into its own garden on a pole of stone rather than timber. That choice turns a piece of equipment into a small monument. The Agency pairs it with the nearby lamp as evidence of how the district modernized.
What to look for
Look up to the middle of the shaft: the white insulator is still in place, showing where the line once ran. At the foot, the round plinth is cut from the same pale granite as the pole.
Step back a few paces and the pole lines up with the glass globe of the Outdoor Lamp. Both are early Showa fixtures in local stone, and seen together they show how the Saitos brought modern utilities into a traditional garden.
Seeing the Stone Utility Pole
The pole is in the garden of the Sairi Yashiki museum and is covered by admission. Find the Outdoor Lamp in the middle of the garden; the pole stands just southeast of it. Please view it from the paths and do not climb or lean on it.
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Q&A
- What is the Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Stone Utility Pole?
- A 5.4-metre granite power pole on a round stone base, with an insulator halfway up, dating from the early Showa period.
- Why is the Sairi Yashiki Stone Utility Pole a registered cultural property?
- The Saito family financed an electric light company that powered Marumori in the Taisho era, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs sees the pole and lamp as records of that modernization.
- Where is the Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Stone Utility Pole?
- In the garden, just southeast of the Outdoor Lamp and northwest of the Stone Bathhouse.
- What was the Saito family's electric company called?
- The museum's website names it Kiyotaki Dento.
- Can visitors see the Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Stone Utility Pole?
- Yes, in the museum garden, with Sairi Yashiki admission.
Basic Information
| Name | Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Stone Utility Pole (蔵の郷土館齋理屋敷電線用石柱) |
|---|---|
| Location | 25 Machinishi, Marumori Town, Igu District, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/1/26 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone, 5.4 metres high |
| Owner | Marumori Town |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable in the museum garden (admission charged) |
References
- Kura no Kyodokan Sairi Yashiki Stone Utility Pole (Agency for Cultural Affairs database, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008408
- About Sairi Yashiki (official website, Japanese)
- https://sairiyashiki.com/about/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
