A room for making miso
The Yusa Family Residence Miso Room (遊佐家住宅味噌部屋, Yusa-ke Jūtaku Misobeya) is a small Taisho-period building, dated to between 1912 and 1925, on the west side of the main house on the Yusa farmstead in the Baba district of Naruko Onsen, Ōsaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, entered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 11 December 1998.
It was built for preparing and maturing the family's own miso. The building is a single-storey timber structure with a building area of only 10 square metres. It has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of pantiles (Sangawara-buki), entered from the long side, and its walls are finished in the ōkabe manner, plastered over so that no posts show on the outside.
Why it was registered
The Yusa Family Residence Miso Room was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs regards it as one of the elements that make up the farmstead and notes that relatively few buildings of this kind survive, which makes it valuable.
Small stores for everyday food tend to disappear once they fall out of use. That one survives here beside the main house, and on the register, lets you see how a farm fed itself.
One curved beam holding up the roof
The roof structure is the thing to see. At the gable ends it is a simple Wagoya frame of posts and short struts. In the middle, though, a single curved beam spans between the posts across the building, and the purlin simply sits on top of it.
Using a naturally bent timber and as few pieces as possible is a builder's answer to putting up a small building with whatever wood was at hand. The neat plastered exterior hides the posts completely, so the rough, honest framing inside comes as a surprise.
Visiting
The Yusa Family Residence Miso Room is on private property and no public opening has been announced. Photographs of the building are published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database and on the Cultural Heritage Online portal.
Directions to the farmstead and the conditions that apply to the whole site are collected on the page for the farmstead as a group.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Miyagi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yusa Family Residence Miso Room
- [ Matsushima Bay Cruise & Sendai Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Yusa Family Residence Miso Room built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taisho period, between 1912 and 1925. It was registered on 11 December 1998.
- What is unusual about the structure of the Yusa Family Residence Miso Room?
- In the middle of the building the roof rests on a single curved beam laid across the posts, with the purlin placed directly on it; only the gable ends use a conventional simple frame.
- Why was the Yusa Family Residence Miso Room registered?
- As one of the elements of the farmstead, and because relatively few buildings of this type survive. It qualified for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I visit the Yusa Family Residence Miso Room?
- It is on private property and no public opening has been announced.
- What was the Yusa Family Residence Miso Room used for?
- Preparing and maturing the family's own miso. It stands on the west side of the main house.
Basic Information
| Name | Yusa Family Residence Miso Room |
|---|---|
| Location | 102 Baba, Naruko Onsen, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/12/11 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 10 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no open days or viewing arrangement announced) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 遊佐家住宅味噌部屋 (Yusa Family Residence Miso Room), Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000928
- Cultural Heritage Online: 遊佐家住宅味噌部屋
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/136698
- Nationally Registered Cultural Properties, Osaki City
- https://www.city.osaki.miyagi.jp/shisei/soshikikarasagasu/kyoikuiinkaijimukyoku/bunkazaika/4/3402.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
