The Fuel Store Beside the Main House
The Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed (辰巳家住宅炭小屋, Tatsumi-ke Jūtaku Sumigoya) is a single-story timber shed built in 1915 in Hōryūji-nishi, Ikaruga Town, Nara Prefecture, and registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 24, 2001. It adjoins the east side of the main house of the Tatsumi estate and, as the name says, was built to store charcoal.
It has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of Sangawara-buki pan tiles and a building area of just 18 square meters, the smallest of the estate's 13 registered structures.
A Household Ran on Charcoal
Before gas and electricity reached Japanese homes, charcoal did much of the cooking, boiled water and heated rooms in winter. A family with a main house of 410 square meters and its own tea room would have gone through a good deal of it. Putting the store right next to the house makes sense for daily use.
The official description calls the shed indispensable to the makeup of the estate. Reception rooms and storehouses do not run a household by themselves, and the Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed fills in a part of the picture that grander buildings leave out.
A Plain Shed, Carefully Plastered
The shed is simply built, but its walls are ōkabe, with the posts buried inside the wall and the surface finished in lime plaster. Compared with Shinkabe walls that leave the posts exposed, this hides the timber, which helps against fire, and it gives the shed the same white face as the storehouses and barn along the east side.
The shed was registered, as number 29-0052, under the criterion for contributing to the historic landscape. The official description says it works with the rice storehouses and barn to the south to shape the east face of the estate, so the Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed does double duty as a fuel store and as the northern end of that row.
Visiting
The Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed stands east of the main house, toward the north end of the east side. You may catch a glimpse of its small roof over the east wall, but the shed is low and most of it is likely hidden.
The estate is a private home. As of September 2026 no public opening has been announced and the grounds are closed. Directions are on the Tatsumi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed built?
- It was built in 1915 and registered as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 24, 2001.
- What was the Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed used for?
- Storing charcoal for the household. It stands right against the east side of the main house.
- How big is the Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed?
- It is a single-story timber building with a building area of 18 square meters, the smallest of the estate's 13 registered structures.
- Why was the Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed registered?
- Though simple, it has plastered walls that conceal the posts, and together with the rice storehouses and barn it shapes the east face of the estate, so it was registered for contributing to the historic landscape.
- Can I visit the Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed?
- No. It is inside a private residence with no opening announced as of September 2026, and as a low building it is mostly hidden behind the wall.
Basic Information
| Name | Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed (辰巳家住宅炭小屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1826-1 Hōryūji-nishi, Ikaruga-chō, Ikoma-gun, Nara Prefecture, and adjoining lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2001 (registered April 24, 2001) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story timber building, tiled roof; building area 18 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no opening announced as of 2026) |
References
- Tatsumi Family Residence Charcoal Shed (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002167
- Tatsumi Family Residence Barn (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002168
Last verified: 2026.09.15
