Where the Grain Tax and the Firewood Were Kept
The Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn (真鍋家住宅倉庫及び納屋, Manabe-ke Jūtaku Sōko oyobi Naya) on Manabeshima, Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture, is a pair of storage buildings built in 1874 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (No. 33-0110) on March 27, 2006. A 2-storey warehouse and a 1-storey barn stand in a north to south line and are registered together as a single building with a combined area of 55 square meters.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs and Kasaoka City both record what went inside: mugi (wheat or barley) paid as tax in the warehouse, firewood and similar supplies in the barn. Built 4 years after the main house, the pair handled the everyday goods that kept the household running.
Why the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn Was Registered
The Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency describes it as indispensable for understanding how the homestead was organized and how its people lived.
Among the five Manabe buildings, the main house and front gate speak for the family's standing, and the former post office for the public role added in the Taisho era. The Warehouse and Barn speaks for the back of the house, the tax grain and the firewood. An outbuilding whose contents are on record lets a visitor picture daily life in an old island household in concrete terms.
How the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn Is Built
The Agency places the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn in the southeast corner of the plot, while Kasaoka City simply says the south corner. The 2-storey warehouse is the northern half, closer to the main house, and the 1-storey barn continues to its south. Both have gabled roofs (Kirizuma-zukuri) of interlocking pantiles (Sangawara-buki) and thick earthen walls in the Dozo-zukuri manner, so two ridges of different heights sit side by side.
The walls are finished in white lime plaster (Shikkui), and the lower part is covered with vertical boards, which protect the base of the wall where rain splashes back.
The Inui-gura storehouse in the same homestead, by contrast, has a lower wall of Namako-kabe tile and tiles set into its upper wall as well. Beside it, the finish of the Warehouse and Barn is plain and practical. The Inui-gura was built 19 years later, in 1893, and was registered as a storehouse that shapes the streetscape at the northwest corner of the plot.
Seeing the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn
The Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn is part of a private home and is not open inside. Because it stands in the southeast corner rather than on the western street like the main house and former post office, it was not possible to confirm how much of it can be seen from the lanes.
Look only from the lane, do not enter the grounds, and limit photographs to what is visible from there.
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Q&A
- What was stored in the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Kasaoka City, mugi (wheat or barley) paid as tax was kept in the warehouse, and firewood and similar supplies in the barn.
- When was the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn built and registered?
- It was built in 1874 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 27, 2006, as No. 33-0110.
- Where is the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn within the homestead?
- The Agency places it in the southeast corner of the plot. The 2-storey warehouse is on the north side, nearer the main house, and the 1-storey barn is to its south.
- How does the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn differ from the Inui-gura?
- Both are plastered earthen-walled storehouses, but the Warehouse and Barn has vertical boarding on the lower walls, while the Inui-gura has namako tile on its lower walls and tiles on its upper walls as well.
- Can visitors see the Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn?
- The interior is not open, as it is part of a private home. It stands in the southeast corner of the plot, and how much of it can be seen from the lanes has not been confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn (真鍋家住宅倉庫及び納屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4026-1 Manabeshima, Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), No. 33-0110 |
| Year Designated | Registered March 27, 2006 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys and 1 storey, tiled roof, building area 55 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual (blank in the national database) |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005502
- Cultural Heritage Online (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Manabe Family Residence Warehouse and Barn
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/190230
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Manabe Family Residence Inui-gura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005501
- Kasaoka City: Manabe Family Residence Main House and Other Buildings (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kasaoka.okayama.jp/soshiki/39/2494.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
