A Stone Structure Set Below a Slope
The Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu (Pigsty-Privy) is a Meiji-period stone structure in Yamada, Onna Village, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 15 May 2007.
A furu combined a privy with a pen for pigs. Human waste fed the animals and the animals were eaten. It belonged outside the house, an ancillary structure rather than a place anyone lived.
This one was built around 1897 and moved to Ryukyu Mura in 1982, where it sits below a slope near the eastern edge of the central grounds. The other six listed buildings stand on level ground; this one alone is a step down from the path.
The Only One Listed on Different Grounds
Six of the seven listed buildings at Ryukyu Mura were registered under the criterion that the structure serves as a model of design. The Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu was not. It was listed because it would not be easy to recreate.
The reason lies in public health law. Structures of this kind fell out of use through the Meiji period, and Ryukyu Mura records that their use was banned outright in the urban areas of Okinawa Prefecture in 1917. Almost none was built afterwards, so what survives is necessarily old, and the craft of building one has largely gone with it. Being impossible to make again is what turned this structure into cultural property.
Its registration number, 47-0031, is the last of the seven. It is counted as one unit rather than one building, and it is classed among other structures rather than among dwellings.
What the Measurements Tell You
The Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu is built of Ryukyuan limestone. It covers 20 square metres, roughly 5 metres by 4 metres overall, with the pens on the east side and three privy cubicles ranged north to south along the west.
Each pen measures 1.2 metres by 2.4 metres and is 0.5 metres deep. These are not dimensions for a person; they are the working space of a single pig. Three cubicles rather than one is the plain arithmetic of a household using the structure at the same time.
A niche is cut into the eastern wall as a sunshade. What looks at first like stacked stone turns out to have relief from the heat designed into the face of the wall. Ryukyuan limestone is porous and easily worked, and the same material built the islands' field walls and tombs.
Look Down Before You Go Down
The Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu stands in the open below the path, so the first view of it is from above. Seen that way, the three cubicles and the split between pens on the east and privies on the west read almost like a floor plan. For this structure, taking in the whole from higher ground before approaching is the quicker route to understanding it.
Once you are down beside it, look for the niche in the east wall. The coursing of the stone and the way the corners are worked also reward a second look. Photography is allowed.
Directions, opening hours and admission are set out on the Ryukyu Mura page. The ground here slopes, so watch your footing.
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Q&A
- What is the Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu?
- A stone structure combining a privy with pens for pigs. Built of Ryukyuan limestone, it has the pens on the east side and three cubicles ranged north to south on the west.
- Why is the Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was listed under the criterion that a structure would not be easy to recreate. It is the only one of the seven at the park listed on those grounds; the other six were listed as models of design.
- How big is the Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu?
- It covers 20 square metres, about 5 metres by 4 metres overall. Each pen is 1.2 metres by 2.4 metres and 0.5 metres deep.
- When was the Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu built and moved?
- Around 1897, with relocation to Ryukyu Mura in 1982. It now sits below a slope near the eastern edge of the central grounds.
- How should visitors approach the Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu?
- Look down on it from the path first to take in the three cubicles and the overall layout, then go closer and find the sunshade niche in the east wall. Photography is permitted.
Basic Information
| Name | Ryukyu Mura Former Hirata Family Residence Furu (Pigsty-Privy) (琉球村旧平田家住宅フール) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1130 Yamada, Onna Village, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture (inside Ryukyu Mura) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 47-0031 |
| Year Designated | Registered 15 May 2007, gazetted 29 May 2007 |
| Quantity | 1 unit |
| Dimensions | Stone construction, area 20 sq m (approximately 5 m by 4 m overall) |
| Owner | Takoyama Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Viewable with paid admission to Ryukyu Mura (9:30 to 17:00, last admission 16:00, open daily) |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006119
- Japan Cultural Properties Information Site: Former Hirata Family Residence Furu
- https://onna.hiddenheritage.jp/8
- Ryukyu Mura: Former Hirata House Furu
- https://www.ryukyumura.co.jp/facilities/hiratake/
- Ryukyu Mura facility information
- https://www.ryukyumura.co.jp/information/
Last verified: 2026.09.13
