What the Tool Storehouse Is
The Hoashi Family Branch Residence (Shoseki Furokan) Tool Storehouse (帆足家分家住宅（松石不老館）道具蔵, dogugura) is a mid-Meiji storehouse in Hetsugi Honmachi, Nakahetsugi, Oita City, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 November 2005. It stands on the boundary northwest of the main house, running east to west. The plastered Dozo-zukuri storehouse measures 5 by 2 bays, rises 2 stories under a Kirizuma-zukuri roof of pantiles, and has a building area of 33 square metres.
It sits on cut stone. The south front has a base of Namako-kabe tiles, a sliding door with a small roof above and stone steps. The other three sides carry a single row of mizukiri tiles, projecting from the wall to throw off rain, and the upper floor at the front has two windows closed by single-leaf iron shutters.
In Japanese houses a dogugura usually held things not in daily use: lacquered tableware for guests, folding screens, festival furnishings. The ACA records do not list the contents, but the name places this storehouse among the household's supplies rather than its trade.
Why It Was Listed
The Hoashi Family Branch Residence Tool Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
At 33 square metres it is the smallest of the four storehouses on the property, yet its front follows the same pattern as the pawn storehouse: tiled base, sliding door, small roof and steps. The household evidently had one standard for how a storehouse should face the garden.
The mizukiri tiles and iron shutters are details the ACA mentions only for this building. The tiles stop rainwater from running down the whole height of the wall; the shutters keep out fire. It is a small building protected with care against both.
What to Look For
Compare the front with the other sides. The south front wears the black and white lattice of namako-kabe; the other three sides make do with a plain row of rain tiles. The face that people saw got the decoration; the rest got what was practical.
On the upper floor at the front, two dark iron shutters sit in the white wall. Those two openings give the Hoashi Family Branch Residence Tool Storehouse its expression.
Look too at the cut-stone base and the steps before the door. Floor raised above the damp, steps up to the threshold: the basics of a Japanese storehouse, all present at a small scale.
Visiting
The Hoashi Family Branch Residence (Shoseki Furokan) Tool Storehouse is not open to the public (checked 25 September 2026). It stands on the boundary northwest of the main house, largely hidden from the eastern street.
Its lot number is 4363, different from the main house at 4361. It is a storehouse deep in private grounds; please do not try to look in from outside.
Directions to the site as a whole are on the Hoashi Family Branch Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Oita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hoashi Family Branch Residence (Shoseki Furokan) Tool Storehouse
- [ Beppu Hell Tour & Yufuin Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- What is the Hoashi Family Branch Residence Tool Storehouse?
- A mid-Meiji 2-story plastered storehouse on the boundary northwest of the main house, 5 by 2 bays, with a building area of 33 square metres.
- What does the front of the Hoashi Family Branch Residence Tool Storehouse look like?
- A namako-kabe tiled base, a sliding door under a small roof and stone steps, with two iron-shuttered windows on the upper floor.
- What are mizukiri tiles on the Hoashi Family Branch Residence Tool Storehouse?
- A single row of tiles projecting from the wall to shed rainwater. Here they run along the three sides other than the front.
- What was kept in the Hoashi Family Branch Residence Tool Storehouse?
- The ACA records do not say. A dogugura generally stored items not in daily use, such as tableware for guests and folding screens.
- Can you see the Hoashi Family Branch Residence (Shoseki Furokan) Tool Storehouse?
- It is not open to the public and is largely hidden from the eastern street.
Basic Information
| Name | Hoashi Family Branch Residence (Shoseki Furokan) Tool Storehouse (帆足家分家住宅（松石不老館）道具蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4363 Oaza Nakahetsugi, Oita City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 44-0105 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/11/10 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri storehouse, 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 33 square metres; 5 by 2 bays |
| Owner | Not listed in the ACA database |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; set deep in the plot and hard to see from the road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 帆足家分家住宅（松石不老館）道具蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005060
- Cultural Heritage Online: 帆足家分家住宅（松石不老館）道具蔵
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/189790
- Oita City: History and Culture of Hetsugi Honmachi (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.oita.oita.jp/o204/machizukuri/toshi/1014449890810.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
