What Is the Tomita Family Residence Miso Room?
The Tomita Family Residence Miso Room (冨田家住宅味噌部屋, Tomita-ke Jūtaku Misobeya) is a small food store on a prosperous farming estate in Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture; it was built in the late Meiji period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2016. It is a single-storey timber building covering 11 square meters.
It stands on the northern side of the estate, east of the main house and facing south. Only the well house is smaller among the nine registered buildings.
An Earth-Floored Store
The Tomita Family Residence Miso Room has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof in Sangawara-buki pan tiles and measures 2 bays by 1.5 bays. The walls are Shinkabe, with the posts left visible, and finished in Shikkui white plaster.
Inside there is only a Doma earth floor and no ceiling. The construction is basic, but a room like this, with no floorboards to clear, was well suited to standing heavy tubs of miso and pickles. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that it is said to have been used to store food.
Beside the Kitchen Back Door
The Tomita Family Residence Miso Room stands next to the back door of the main house's earth-floored kitchen, a few steps from where the cooking was done. Putting the food store right outside the service entrance was a practical arrangement.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs counts it as part of the estate landscape, one of the northern buildings that, with the annex, supported the family's daily life. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Tomita Family Residence Miso Room
The Tomita Family Residence Miso Room is part of a private home and its interior is closed.
It stands behind the main house on the northern side and is unlikely to be visible from outside. Please stay off the grounds and view the estate only from the public road.
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Q&A
- What is the Tomita Family Residence Miso Room?
- It is a small late-Meiji building said to have been used to store food: single-storey timber, 11 square meters, east of the main house.
- When was the Tomita Family Residence Miso Room registered?
- On 29 November 2016, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 29-0247, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- How is the Tomita Family Residence Miso Room built?
- It measures 2 by 1.5 bays under a gabled pan-tile roof, with white-plastered walls showing the posts, an earth floor and no ceiling.
- Why does the Tomita Family Residence Miso Room stand next to the main house?
- It sits beside the back door of the main house kitchen, so stored food was a few steps from the cooking area.
- Can I see the Tomita Family Residence Miso Room?
- The interior is closed, and it stands behind the main house where it is hard to see from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Tomita Family Residence Miso Room (冨田家住宅味噌部屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3830 Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 29-0247 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 November 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 11 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (no entry to the grounds) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Tomita Family Residence Miso Room (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011387
- Tomita Family Residence Miso Room (Cultural Heritage Online, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/221114
- 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
