What Is the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse?
The Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse (旧稲葉家別邸土蔵, Kyū Inaba-ke Bettei Dozō) is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse (Dozo-zukuri) built around 1902 in Usuki City, Oita Prefecture, as part of the Usuki residence of the former Inaba lords, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 8, 2008. It has a pantiled roof and a building area of 28 square meters.
The Storehouse stands south of the Kitchen with its ridge running east to west and its front facing north. In other words, its doors look into the estate toward the Kitchen, not out to the street. The outer wall runs along the street to the south, and the Storehouse sits just inside it.
Cut-Stone Base, Two Rooms, One Long Eave
The Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof, a base of dressed stone and walls finished in Shikkui plaster. It measures 6.9 meters by 4.1 meters, a long, narrow block.
A partition wall set a little west of centre divides the interior into two rooms, and only the western room has an upper floor. Each room has its own doorway, so either could be used without passing through the other. A single storehouse, in effect, was built so that its two halves could serve separate purposes.
The eye goes to the eaves on the east side, which reach out deep and wide. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that they give the exterior some variety. Add that one long eave to a plain box of white walls and tiles and the north face becomes lopsided in an appealing way.
A Store for the Family's Records
According to Usuki City's leaflet, the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse is said to have held important Inaba family records for a time. The city does not say what they were or how long they stayed, so treat it as a tradition rather than a documented fact.
Do not confuse it with the administration building near the ticket office on the west of the grounds. That building also looks like a storehouse, but it is a store that once stood on this site, was moved away and was later brought back. It is not the registered Storehouse. Its ground floor has a counter of tourist leaflets and its upper floor is a small gallery on Shōda Heigorō, who donated the Usuki library.
Why the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse Was Registered
The Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. It keeps the basic look of a Japanese storehouse, with stone base, white walls and a pantiled gable roof, and the two-room split and the deep east eave give it a character of its own.
Along the south edge of the Former Inaba Family Villa, the Gate, the Outer Wall and the Storehouse roof rising behind it together form the outline of the estate seen from the street.
Seeing the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse
The Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse stands inside the grounds of the Former Usuki Domain Lord Inaba Family Shimoyashiki, so once you have paid admission you can see it at close range. Look at it from the Kitchen side to take in the two doorways on the north face and the long eave stretching east.
Usuki City's information does not mention the interior being open, so expect to see the exterior only. We also found no official guidance on photography (checked September 2026).
Q&A
- When was the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse built?
- Around 1902.
- What is the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse like?
- A two-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a gabled, pantiled roof, 6.9 by 4.1 meters with a building area of 28 square meters. It stands on a cut-stone base, has plastered walls and is split into two rooms, only the western one with an upper floor.
- What was kept in the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse?
- Usuki City's leaflet says it is said to have held important Inaba family records for a time.
- When did the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On July 8, 2008, registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I go inside the Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse?
- The city's information does not mention the interior being open, so visits focus on the exterior, which you can see up close inside the grounds of the Former Usuki Domain Lord Inaba Family Shimoyashiki.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse (旧稲葉家別邸土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-6 Gionsu, Oaza Usuki, Usuki City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2008 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 28 m², 6.9 m × 4.1 m (two-storey earthen storehouse) |
| Owner | Usuki City |
| Public Access | Exterior only (inside the grounds of the Former Usuki Domain Lord Inaba Family Shimoyashiki; no notice of interior opening) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007329
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Inaba Family Villa Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/144591
- Usuki City: Former Usuki Domain Lord Inaba Family Shimoyashiki (Japanese)
- https://www.city.usuki.oita.jp/docs/2014013000108/
- Usuki City: Inaba Family Shimoyashiki leaflet (PDF, Japanese)
- https://usuki-kanko.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/inabakeshimoyashiki.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.29
