What Is the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed?
The Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed (旧平林家住宅（一星亭）物置, Kyū Hirabayashi-ke Jūtaku Ichiboshi-tei Monooki) is a single-storey timber shed of the early Showa period on the Hirabayashi family estate in Ikusaka Village, Nagano Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 5 December 2019. It covers 24 square meters under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles.
It stands at the north end of the east edge of the site, its ridge running north to south and its east face turned toward the village road.
The national database dates it to the early Showa period, 1926 to 1945. It is the newest of the six registered buildings, put up more than 60 years after even the last of the late Edo storehouses.
An Outbuilding for Everyday Work
The Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed was registered as No. 20-0558 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a structure that conveys how the household lived and that helps form the layout of the estate.
If the storehouses were for putting goods away, the shed was for tools and materials in daily use. That a new building was still being added to an estate of Edo-period house and storehouses in the Showa era suggests that life and work here carried on into that time.
An Open West Side and a Roadside Door
Each side of the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed has its own job. The west face, turned toward the main house, has no wall at all; it is left fully open so that tools and loads could be moved straight in and out from the yard.
The other three sides, north, east and south, are finished outside as Shinkabe mud walls, with the posts left exposed. It is a plain finish, in contrast with the white-plastered storehouses.
In the east face, toward the village road, a doorway near the south end holds a pair of hinged board doors. According to the Agency, this allowed goods to be carried in and out from the road. The shed could thus be used from both directions: from the yard through the open west side, and from the street through the east door.
Visiting the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed
Because the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed faces the village road, its east board doors and mud walls can be seen from the road. Please stay off the property.
The open west side faces the main house and can only be seen from inside the grounds. On a guided viewing day run by the village Board of Education, such as the one held on 2 March 2025, you can see how the shed and the main house face each other.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed built?
- In the early Showa period, 1926 to 1945 according to the national database. It is the newest of the six registered buildings on the estate.
- What kind of building is the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed?
- A single-storey timber shed of 24 square meters with a tiled gabled roof. Its west side is open toward the main house, and the other three sides have mud walls with exposed posts.
- Why is the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It conveys the daily life of the household and helps form the layout of the estate. It was registered on 5 December 2019 as No. 20-0558.
- Where is the door of the Ichiboshi-tei storage shed?
- Near the south end of the east face, toward the village road, where a pair of hinged board doors allowed goods to be carried in and out.
- Can I see the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed from outside?
- Yes. Its east face is on the village road, so the doors and mud walls are visible from the road. The open west side can be seen on guided viewing days held by the village Board of Education.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed (旧平林家住宅（一星亭）物置) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5497 Ikusaka Village, Higashichikuma District, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 20-0558 |
| Year Designated | Registered 5 December 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 24 square meters |
| Owner | Ikusaka Village |
| Public Access | East face visible from the village road (grounds open only on village Board of Education viewing days) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) Storage Shed (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013113
- Cultural Heritage Online: Storage Shed (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/404551
- Koho Ikusaka, February 2025 issue (notice of the Ichiboshi-tei viewing, PDF, in Japanese)
- https://www.village.ikusaka.nagano.jp/gyousei/kouhou/pdf/2025.02.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.28
