The Big Store in the North West Corner
Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse is a single storey brick building of 1924 in Kamimiyanaga, Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2001. It covers 175 square metres.
It occupies the north west corner of the estate, long and narrow with its ridge running east to west under a gabled kirizuma roof of sangawara pantiles. An open fronted canopy runs along the south side, carried on posts with no wall behind, which is where goods would have been handled.
Nothing else on the estate comes close to it in size. The east storehouse covers 32 square metres and the west storehouse 37 square metres, against 175 here. Of the floor area of all three stores combined, Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse accounts for more than 7 tenths.
Why It Was Registered
Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse is registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. Brick built though it is, it was judged on landscape value rather than placed with the east storehouse and the west storehouse under the criterion of being difficult to reproduce.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a store of a scale fitting to an imposing estate and a landmark for the district. The north west corner is the angle from which the fields around see the property, so the sheer size of the building becomes its presence in the wider view.
The name says what went in it. The family is remembered for coal, but a store on this scale implies a serious connection to farmland as well. The economic breadth of the household is written into this one building.
What to Look For
The roof structure is the reason to care about Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse. It uses a king post truss, a Western system that gathers the roof load into a triangle with a central post hanging the ridge. Japanese wagoya framing stacks posts and beams; a truss separates the members into those in tension and those in compression, and spans further as a result.
That is what makes 175 square metres of floor usable without a forest of columns down the middle. Finding a Western truss in a provincial storehouse of the 1920s tells you the builders could handle modern engineering as well as carpentry.
The openings repay attention too. High windows run along the east, north and west faces, every one of them barred with iron. Setting windows high keeps the inside out of view and leaves the walls free for stacking; the bars are there against theft. Protection of the contents shaped both where the openings sit and how they are made.
The walls are rendered in cement and no brick is visible, the same approach taken with the east and west storehouses.
Visiting
Standing in the north west corner, Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse is among the easier of the 15 entries to see. From the road on the north or the west, the gabled roof and the upper part of the wall show above the north wall.
The interior is closed. Nothing is advertised that would let a visitor see the king post trusses or the open floor, and the grounds cannot be entered.
Depending on the height of the boundary wall, the barred high windows may be visible from outside. Look along the north and west faces for the line of openings.
Photograph from the road only. Directions and visiting conditions are on the Hisatsune Family Residence page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- [ Beppu Hell Tour & Yufuin Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- How large is Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- The building area is 175 square metres, against 32 square metres for the east storehouse and 37 square metres for the west storehouse. It is by far the largest of the three stores.
- What kind of roof structure does Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse use?
- A king post truss, a Western system that spans further than traditional Japanese framing and leaves the floor clear of columns.
- What are the windows of Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse like?
- High windows run along the east, north and west faces, all fitted with iron bars, combining daylight with security.
- Where is Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- In the north west corner of the estate. It is long and narrow, its ridge running east to west, with an open canopy along the south side.
- Can Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse be seen?
- The roof and upper wall are visible above the boundary wall from the road on the north or west. The interior is closed and entry is not possible.
Basic Information
| Name | Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-1 Kamimiyanaga, Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 28 August 2001 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single storey brick, tiled roof, building area 175 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; exterior viewing from public roads only |
References
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database, Hisatsune Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002334
- Cultural Properties of Nakatsu City (Nakatsu City)
- https://www.city-nakatsu.jp/doc/2024101700025/
- List of Nationally Designated and Selected Cultural Properties (Oita Prefecture)
- https://www.pref.oita.jp/kyoiku/tmp/bunka/post-101/1.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.14
