A kettle room and a well under one roof
The Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter (古梅園釜屋兼井戸屋形, Kōbaien Kamaya ken Ido Yakata) in Tsubaicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, is the kettle house and well shelter west of the kitchen at Kobaien, the sumi ink maker founded in 1577; it was built around 1926, at the start of the Shōwa era and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1998/01/16 (number 29-0025). The Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter is a plain gabled building to the west of the kitchen. Its timber posts are exposed in plastered walls, it stands tall, and inside the floor is beaten earth. It was originally the kamaba, the room where the kettles stood.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to around 1926, the start of the Shōwa era: timber, single storey, tiled, with a building area of 34 square metres.
A cut-stone well and one open corner
In the northwest corner is a well lined with cut stone laid in a square frame. The rest of the building is walled, but this one corner is left open so that water could be drawn easily. A low board wainscot runs along the passage on the north side.
Its place next to the kitchen suggests that water for the craftsmen's meals was drawn here. The Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter did not make ink itself; it kept the household and the works supplied with water.
Seeing it
The Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter 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 is the Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter?
- A building west of the kitchen that combined a kettle room for heating water with a shelter over the well.
- What is the well at Kobaien like?
- A well lined with cut stone in the northwest corner of the building, the only corner left open.
- How large is the Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter?
- A single-storey timber building of 34 square metres.
- Can visitors see the Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter?
- It is not open to the public. Factory visits are by reservation; ask Kobaien what the visit covers.
- When was the Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter registered as a cultural property?
- On 1998/01/16, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 29-0025.
Basic Information
| Name | Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter (古梅園釜屋兼井戸屋形) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7 Tsubakiicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 29-0025 |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/01/16 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof; building area 34 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 Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000473
- Cultural Heritage Online — Kobaien Kamaya Kettle House and Well Shelter
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/180383
- Kobaien Co., Ltd. — Company profile and opening hours
- https://kobaien.jp/profile.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
