A small work house in the southwest corner
The Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room (古梅園灰置き場兼編み場, Kōbaien Haiokiba ken Amiba) in Tsubaicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, is the small house where wood ash was dried and ink sticks were bound in straw at Kobaien, the sumi ink maker founded in 1577; it was built in the early Shōwa era (from 1926) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1998/01/16 (number 29-0020). The Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room is a small timber-framed building with exposed posts at the southwest end of the property. A doorway opens in the middle of the east side, and small windows light the upper floor. The front wall is clad in vertical boards right up to the eaves.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Shōwa era: timber, 2 storeys, tiled, with a building area of 21 square metres, one of the smaller ink-making buildings.
Drying ash and binding ink in straw
Its two uses sit on either side of the drying process. Moulded ink is dried by burying it in wood ash, and the ash itself was dried here. After that stage, the sticks are bound in rice straw and hung up to dry, and the binding was done here too.
Kobaien explains that after drying in ash, which removes about 70 percent of the moisture, the sticks are tied in straw and hung from the ceiling to dry indoors for 1 to 6 months. The Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room prepared the ash and straw that the process depends on.
Seeing it
The Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room lies inside the Kobaien property and is not open to the public; it can scarcely be seen from the street or the lanes.
Kobaien takes factory visits by reservation, with a hand-gripped ink experience in the ink-making season; ask when booking which buildings the visit includes. Shop hours, how to book a factory visit and directions from the station are on the Kobaien page.
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Q&A
- What was done in the Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room?
- Drying the wood ash used to dry ink, and binding the sticks in rice straw after the ash-drying stage.
- Where is the Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room?
- At the southwest end of the Kobaien property.
- How large is the Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room?
- A 2-storey timber building of 21 square metres.
- Can visitors see the Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room?
- It is not open to the public. Factory visits are by reservation; ask Kobaien what the visit covers.
- When was the Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room registered as a cultural property?
- On 1998/01/16, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 29-0020.
Basic Information
| Name | Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room (古梅園灰置き場兼編み場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 8-2 Tsubakiicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 29-0020 |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/01/16 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof; building area 21 square metres |
| Owner | Kobaien Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (factory visits by reservation) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000468
- Cultural Heritage Online — Kobaien Ash Store and Straw-Binding Room
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/136238
- Kobaien Co., Ltd. — Company profile and opening hours
- https://kobaien.jp/profile.html
- Kobaien Co., Ltd. — How sumi is made
- https://kobaien.jp/sumitanjyo.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
