What Is the Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom?

The Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom (冨田家住宅南道具蔵及び南寝間, Tomita-ke Jūtaku Minami Dōgugura oyobi Minami Nema) is a single building joining a storehouse for household equipment and a sleeping room on a prosperous farming estate in Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture; it was built in the mid-Meiji period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2016. It covers 46 square meters.

It stands midway along the stone wall on the western side of the estate, with the inner reception wing to the south and the north tool storehouse and bedroom to the north.

A Two-Storey Storehouse and a Single-Storey Room

The Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom combines a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) 2-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse with a single-storey timber bedroom attached on its south side. A dōgugura held the equipment of the household, and the nema was a room for sleeping.

The same pairing of storehouse and living room is repeated in the neighboring north building, whose storehouse is recorded as holding tableware and similar goods; the south storehouse most likely served the same kind of use.

Continuous with the Reception Wing

The south bedroom of the Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom is finished outside to match the inner reception wing, and the corridor on the north side of the reception wing meets it, so the bedroom links the guest rooms with the storehouses.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that several buildings line the stone wall of the sloping site at different heights, giving the estate its varied outline. Here the 2-storey storehouse rises behind the low roof of the bedroom, one of the steps in that sequence. The registration was made for the building's contribution to the historic landscape.

Visiting the Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom

The Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom is part of a private home and its interior is closed.

It stands on the western stone wall between the reception wing and the north storehouse. Please stay off the grounds and view it from the public road as part of the row of buildings along the wall.

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Q&A

QWhat is the Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom?
AIt is a mid-Meiji building joining a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse and a single-storey timber bedroom, 46 square meters in area.
QWhen was the Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom registered?
AOn 29 November 2016, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 29-0244, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
QWhere does the Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom stand?
AMidway along the western stone wall, between the inner reception wing to the south and the north tool storehouse and bedroom.
QHow does the Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom look from outside?
AThe bedroom is finished to match the reception wing, and the 2-storey storehouse rises behind it, forming one of the stepped rooflines along the wall.
QCan I visit the Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom?
AThe interior is closed. It can be viewed from the public road as part of the buildings on the western wall.

Basic Information

NameTomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom (冨田家住宅南道具蔵及び南寝間)
Location3830 Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture
DesignationRegistered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 29-0244
Year DesignatedRegistered 29 November 2016
Quantity1 building
DimensionsSouth tool storehouse: 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof; south bedroom: single-storey timber building, tiled roof; building area 46 square meters
OwnerPrivate
Public AccessClosed to the public (no entry to the grounds)

References

Database of National Cultural Properties: Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011384
Tomita Family Residence South Tool Storehouse and South Bedroom (Cultural Heritage Online, in Japanese)
https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/245501
Minutes of the 172nd Cultural Properties Subcommittee, Council for Cultural Affairs, 15 July 2016 (in Japanese)
https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkashingikai/bunkazai/16/pdf/gijiyoshi_172.pdf
Ikoma City Cultural Properties Protection Council, meeting materials (in Japanese)
https://www.city.ikoma.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000000/562/siryou.pdf

Last verified: 2026.09.28