What Is the Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse?
The Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse (旧増岡家住宅外蔵, Kyū Masuoka-ke Jūtaku Sotokura) is a late Meiji-period (1898 to 1912) earthen storehouse at the northern edge of a former soy sauce brewing merchant's plot in the old castle town of Uda-Matsuyama, in Ōuda-Nishiyama, Uda City, Nara Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 6, 2024. Built in Dozo-zukuri construction, it has 2 storeys, a tiled roof and a building area of 53 square meters, making it the larger of the two storehouses on the Masuoka plot.
Registered as number 29-0361, the Outer Storehouse qualified for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the storehouse that forms the outer boundary of the plot. It stands at the center of the northern edge, facing south, and closes off the back of the property.
Rice and Miso Under One Line of Roofs
The Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse is really two storehouses joined together. The rice storehouse is on the west, and attached to its east side is a miso storehouse whose ridge is set one step lower. Both have gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roofs in the Hirairi arrangement, covered in Sangawara-buki tiles, so from the front the roofline drops a level where the miso store begins.
Having both a rice store and a miso store survive side by side helps in picturing how this soy sauce brewing household lived and traded. Uda City likewise describes the Masuoka Outer Storehouse as a single storehouse combining the miso and rice stores.
A Well under the Lean-to, and Two Kinds of Roof Framing
Across the front of the Outer Storehouse runs a Geya lean-to, its roof carried straight down from the roof of the miso store. In the middle of this lean-to is a well, bringing the household water source under the storehouse eaves right beside the miso store.
The roof framing differs between the two halves. The rice store uses Wagoya, the Japanese truss in which short posts stand on horizontal beams to carry the roof, while the miso store uses Nobori-bari, beams set on a slope to follow the roof. From outside it reads as one storehouse, yet inside each half keeps its own structure.
Visiting the Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse
The Outer Storehouse is on the northern edge of the Nanone guesthouse grounds, and the interior is essentially for overnight guests. According to the guesthouse, guests who ask can be shown the storehouses. No arrangement for drop-in visits could be found.
Although the Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse sits on the outer edge of the plot, how much of it can be seen from the surrounding lanes has not been confirmed. Please stay off the property and view it only from public roads.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse built?
- It dates from the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912).
- Why is the Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on March 6, 2024, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country as the storehouse that forms the outer boundary of the plot.
- What kind of building is the Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse?
- A rice storehouse on the west joined to a slightly lower miso storehouse on the east, forming one earthen storehouse.
- Where is the well at the Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse?
- It sits in the middle of the lean-to along the front, whose roof extends down from the miso store's roof.
- Can visitors see the Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse?
- It is on the Nanone guesthouse grounds, and overnight guests can ask to be shown the storehouses. Its visibility from surrounding roads has not been confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 91 Nishiyama, Ouda, Uda City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 6, 2024 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 53 m² |
| Owner | Nature Core Science Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Inside the Nanone guesthouse grounds. Guests may be shown it on request. Visibility from surrounding roads unconfirmed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014908
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Masuoka Family Residence Outer Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/553948
- Uda City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.uda.lg.jp/soshiki/41/1088.html
- Nanone: Stay plans (in Japanese)
- https://www.nanone.net/info20240726_nanoneplan.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
