A Storehouse with a River-View Room
The Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura (後藤家住宅座敷蔵) is a storehouse-and-reception building of 1929 in Kuma, Hita City, Oita Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 23, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a 2-storey timber building, roofed in tile, with a building area of 51 square metres; registration number 44-0158.
A Formal Room on Top of a Storehouse
The Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura (後藤家住宅座敷蔵) is a 2-storey timber building set against the north side of the retirement quarters. It measures 8.7 metres by 6.5 metres under a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) roof of pan tiles, with the ridge running east to west (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The ground floor is a storehouse with thick plastered walls (Ōkabe), while the upper floor is a formal room with exposed timber framing (Shinkabe) and a veranda on the river side (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The change of wall finish between the two floors shows the split between storage below and a river-view room above. The zashiki-gura stands on a wall of river stones set in mortar (Nerizumi).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura as a contribution to the historic landscape, noting that its tall hip-and-gable end faces the river and varies the line of the riverbank (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
What to Look For
Look for the gable end turned to the river and for the change from plastered walls below to exposed framing above (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Next to the low gabled roof of the retirement quarters to the south, the taller hip-and-gable roof of the Goto zashiki-gura gives the riverbank its rise and fall.
Visiting
The Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura stands behind the main house, north of the retirement quarters, and no official information on interior access was found (as of November 2026).
Q&A
- When was the Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura built?
- In 1929 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What kind of building is the Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura?
- A 2-storey timber building with a plastered storehouse below and a formal room with exposed framing above, under a hip-and-gable tiled roof.
- How large is the Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura?
- 8.7 metres by 6.5 metres, with a building area of 51 square metres.
- Why was the Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura registered?
- Its tall gable end faces the river and varies the riverbank scene, so it was registered as a contribution to the historic landscape.
- When was the Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura registered?
- On October 23, 2008 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura (後藤家住宅座敷蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-80 Kuma, Hita City, Oita Prefecture, and others |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/10/23 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2-storey, tiled roof, 51 m², 8.7 m by 6.5 m |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on interior access |
References
- Goto Family Residence Zashiki-Gura (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007432
- Hita City Regional Plan for Cultural Properties, Chapter 7 (Hita City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hita.oita.jp/uploaded/attachment/9137.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.12
