About the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse
The Iwao Family Residence (Former Nihongan Pharmaceutical Works) Storehouse (岩尾家住宅（旧日本丸製薬所）土蔵, Iwao-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a 3-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse of the late Meiji era in Mameda-machi, Hita City, Oita Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 31, 2003. It is a sodegura, a storehouse built hard against the side of the main house, here on its north side, and it turns the gable end of its Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles to the street. Its footprint is 62 square meters.
Of the three registered buildings, the storehouse of the Iwao Family Residence is older than the main house and younger than the annex. If the dates hold, it was already standing on the street when the present main house went up in the late Taisho era.
Why It Was Registered
The Iwao Family Residence Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with shaping the Mameda townscape together with the main house. From the street, the triangular gable of a storehouse three floors high rises beside the white walls of the main house.
Its value goes beyond the facade. The agency explains that besides serving its original purpose as a store, the building held a kitchen open to the floors above and a Zashiki reception room, and it worked as one unit with the main house. This was a storehouse lived in as part of the home, not merely a place to keep goods.
The Kitchen and the Storehouse Parlor
Just past the reception desk of the Nihongan-kan is a kitchen that the family used until the 1950s. It appears to be the double-height kitchen the Agency for Cultural Affairs lists for the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse. The museum presents it as a place where the way people once lived has been left as it was.
On the upper floors, the Nihongan-kan opens the storehouse parlor (kura-zashiki) and the storehouse's third floor. The parlor was used for business meetings in its day, and it now holds a hand-warming brazier in the shape of a Daruma doll, a low writing desk and other household pieces. The third floor shows items the family's ancestors used, from old coins and booklets to telephones, together with objects used by Emperor Showa when he came to Hita on his postwar tour of the country.
Moving through the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse floor by floor, you can follow how a single storehouse served as store, kitchen and reception room within the household.
Seeing and Visiting the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse
The exterior of the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse is visible from the street on the north side of the main house. Look for the triangle of the gable facing the road and the tall wall of a storehouse three floors high.
Inside, the kitchen, the storehouse parlor and the third floor can be seen during the Nihongan-kan's open seasons: February 15 to May 31 in spring and September 1 to November 30 in autumn. Opening hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and adult admission is 400 yen. These details were checked on the official Nihongan-kan website on October 6, 2026. The website does not say whether photography is allowed, so please ask at the reception desk.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Iwao Family Residence (Former Nihongan Pharmaceutical Works) Storehouse
- [ Beppu Hell Tour & Yufuin Onsen Hot Springs ]
Q&A
- When was the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse built?
- It dates from the late Meiji era, which makes it older than the main house of the late Taisho era. It stands against the north side of the main house.
- What was the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse used for?
- It was a store, but it also held a double-height kitchen and a reception room. According to the Nihongan-kan, its parlor was used for business meetings.
- Why is the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- Together with the main house it shapes the Mameda townscape, and it was judged to contribute to the historic landscape of the country. It was registered on January 31, 2003.
- Can visitors go inside the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse?
- Yes, during the Nihongan-kan's spring and autumn seasons. The kitchen, the storehouse parlor and the third-floor displays are on the route, and adult admission is 400 yen.
- Can the Iwao Family Residence Storehouse be seen from the street?
- Yes. It stands on the north side of the main house, a 3-storey storehouse with its gable turned to the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Iwao Family Residence (Former Nihongan Pharmaceutical Works) Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 4-15 Mameda-machi, Hita City, Oita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered January 31, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, building area 62 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (opened to the public by Iwao Yakuho as the Nihongan-kan) |
| Public Access | Open in spring and autumn as the Nihongan-kan (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; adults 400 yen) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Iwao Family Residence (Former Nihongan Pharmaceutical Works) Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003182
- Nihongan-kan official website
- https://www.nihongan.info/
- Nihongan-kan: Guide to the Building
- https://www.nihongan.info/s-projects-side-by-side
Last verified: 2026.10.06
