What Is the Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn?
The Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn (冨田家住宅米蔵及び焙炉納屋, Tomita-ke Jūtaku Komegura oyobi Hoiro-naya) is a single building joining a rice storehouse and a drying barn 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 is single-storey with a tiled roof and covers 70 square meters.
It stands on the southern stone wall west of the Nagayamon gatehouse, its gabled roof continuing the gatehouse roofline along the front of the estate.
Earthen Storehouse and Timber Barn Under One Roof
The Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn has two parts built in different ways. The rice storehouse at the western end is of Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled construction, meant to keep the harvest safe from fire and damp. The roasting barn to the east is timber-framed, with Shinkabe walls that leave the posts exposed and a skirting of vertical boards.
A hoiro is a tray set over a gentle fire to dry leaves, most familiarly tea. The name suggests the barn held such trays or housed the drying work, but no source found records what was dried here. The eastern three bays of the barn were partitioned off as a room for male farmhands, so it served as both workspace and lodging.
Matching the Gatehouse
The barn section of the Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn repeats the exposed-post walls and board skirting of the gatehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it, with the stone wall and the gatehouse, with shaping the face of the estate.
Along the wall the roofs run on from gatehouse to barn to storehouse, and the walls change from timber and boarding to the white plaster of the storehouse beneath one continuous roofline. The building was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Visiting the Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn
The Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn is part of a private home and its interior is closed.
It stands with the gatehouse on the southern stone wall as part of the front of the estate. Please stay off the lane up to the gate and view it from the public road.
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Q&A
- What is the Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn?
- It is a mid-Meiji building combining an earthen-walled rice storehouse and a timber drying barn under one roof, single-storey and 70 square meters in area.
- When was the Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn registered?
- On 29 November 2016, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 29-0242, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- What does hoiro mean in the Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn?
- A hoiro is a tray used over a low fire to dry leaves such as tea. The sources checked do not say what was dried at this estate.
- What rooms are in the Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn?
- The eastern three bays of the barn form a room for male farmhands; the western end is the earthen-walled rice storehouse.
- Can I visit the Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn?
- The interior is closed. It forms part of the estate front beside the gatehouse and can be viewed from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn (冨田家住宅米蔵及び焙炉納屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3830 Takayamacho, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 29-0242 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 November 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Rice storehouse: single-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof; roasting barn: single-storey timber building, tiled roof; building area 70 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (no entry to the grounds) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011382
- Tomita Family Residence Rice Storehouse and Roasting Barn (Cultural Heritage Online, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/299229
- 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
