Brick Left on Show
Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed 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 32 square metres.
It stands at the middle of the northern side of the estate, long and narrow with its ridge running north to south under a gabled kirizuma roof of sheet metal. The western part is raised a step higher, so the building is not the plain box it might have been. Tools and odds and ends went in here, the gear of everyday work.
What sets Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed apart from the other buildings is that it does not hide its brick. The east, west and rice storehouses are all rendered or plastered over; this one leaves the wall as laid.
Why It Was Registered
Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed is registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the nation, recognised as part of the northern face of the estate.
The walls are built of slag brick, moulded from the residue left by smelting and refining. It differs from ordinary clay brick in both colour and surface. On this estate the same material appears in the water tower and the chimney. A family that ran coal mines brought a by product of heavy industry home and built its outbuildings with it.
The bond is igirisu-zumi, English bond, a single brick thick: courses of stretchers alternating with courses of headers. It is strong and it is slow to lay. Using it on a utility shed says a good deal about the standard being kept across the estate as a whole.
What to Look For
At Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed, follow the wall up to where it stops. A plate runs along the top of the brickwork, the plate carries beams left close to their round log section, and short posts stand on those beams to hold the ridge. Brick wall meeting timber roof with nothing in between and no decoration on either.
The sheet metal roof is another point of difference. Almost everything on the estate is tiled; this is the only building that is not. A light roof was enough for the job, which is another way of saying that no status was being claimed here.
On the north side the perimeter brick wall doubles as the wall of the building, with a doorway cut through it. Building and boundary merge, and from outside it is not obvious where one ends and the other begins. That continuity between the enclosure and the structures inside it is characteristic of this estate.
The step up on the western part reads from outside as a change in roof height. A long narrow building that changes level partway along is easy to pick out.
Visiting
Because Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed sits on the northern side, the brick walling, the metal roof and the doorway through the north face can all be seen from the road on that side. It is one of very few entries on the estate where the brick itself can be examined directly.
The interior is closed and the grounds cannot be entered. There is no advertised way to see the log beams or the roof framing.
To judge the colour of slag brick, come on an overcast day or when the wall is in shade. Direct sun washes the surface out and the difference from clay brick disappears. The ondol room lies immediately west and the rice storehouse beyond it, so walking the north side from east to west takes in all three.
Photograph from the road only. Directions and visiting conditions are on the Hisatsune Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Oita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed
- [ Beppu Hell Tour & Yufuin Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- What brick is Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed built from?
- Slag brick, moulded from the residue of smelting and refining. The water tower and the chimney on the same estate use it too.
- What bond is used at Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed?
- English bond, a single brick thick, with courses of stretchers alternating with courses of headers. It is strong but slow to lay.
- What is the roof of Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed made of?
- Sheet metal. Almost every other building on the estate is tiled, and this is the only one roofed in metal.
- Is the brickwork of Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed visible?
- Yes. Unlike the east, west and rice storehouses, which are rendered or plastered, this building leaves its brickwork exposed.
- Can Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed be seen?
- The brick wall, roof and north doorway are visible from the public road on the north side. The interior is closed and entry is not possible.
Basic Information
| Name | Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed |
|---|---|
| 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, sheet metal roof, building area 32 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 Storage Shed (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002336
- 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
- Cultural Heritage Online, Hisatsune Family Residence Storage Shed
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/178556
Last verified: 2026.09.14
