The Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse
The Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse (井上家住宅味噌蔵, Inoue-ke Jūtaku Misogura) is an earthen-walled storehouse built in 1875 behind the main house on the Inoue family estate in Tsurugawachi-machi, Hita City, Oita Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 31 January 2003.
The national database records a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof and a building area of 46 square metres. It stands behind the kitchen end of the main house, right next to the cooking area, and was where the household made and aged its own miso.
Structure and Registration
The Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse has a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. Its walls are sealed in Shikkui lime plaster with timber boarding along the base. The brewery and the riverside storehouses wear a Namako-kabe tile dado instead, so the family seems to have saved the showier finish for the buildings on view and used plain boards at the back. Inside, the walls were left at the intermediate plaster coat.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the jars used for brewing the household's miso still survive inside. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency values it as a window onto the private, inward-facing side of a rural family's life.
What to Look For
What makes the Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse worth attention is that the building and its purpose survive together: the position beside the kitchen, the brewing jars, the modest board dado. None of it was meant for guests. This is the back-of-house store that kept the family table supplied.
The miso storehouse predates the present main house of 1914 by 39 years. The published sources do not say when or how the current arrangement, with the kitchen right alongside, came about.
Visiting the Miso Storehouse
The Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse sits behind the main house, deep inside the estate, and is unlikely to be visible from the public road. There is no published arrangement for viewing the interior and its jars.
Please stay off the grounds and the private lane. Directions are on the Inoue Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Oita
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse built?
- In 1875 (Meiji 8). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 31 January 2003.
- How big is the Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- It is a 2-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse with a gabled pantile roof and a building area of 46 square metres.
- What survives inside the Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the jars used to brew the household's own miso are still there.
- Can visitors see the Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- It stands behind the main house on a private estate, is hard to see from the road, and no interior viewing is offered.
- Why is the Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse a registered cultural property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as a glimpse of the private, everyday side of a rural household.
Basic Information
| Name | Inoue Family Residence Miso Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 4279 Tsurugawachi-machi, Hita City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/1/31 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 46 square metres |
| Owner | Not disclosed (not listed in the national database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 井上家住宅味噌蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003177
- Hita City: List of Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.hita.oita.jp/soshiki/29/2199.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
