What Is the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse?
The Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse (井上良尚家住宅油蔵, Inoue Yoshinao-ke Jūtaku Aburagura) is a late Edo-period earthen-walled storehouse on the Inoue family estate in Ayazono, Takaishi City, Osaka Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 26 September 2000. It is a single-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a floor area of 42 square meters.
As the name says, it held oil; the Agency for Cultural Affairs records that it was used for rice, oil and other stores. It occupies the east corner of the estate, farther from the main house than any of the other registered buildings.
A Loading Door on the Moat
A moat runs along two sides of the Inoue estate, the northeast and the southeast. The Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse stands at the corner where those two sides meet, right against the water.
On its long eave side facing the moat, the building has a second door, which the agency describes as a loading door. Heavy loads of rice or oil could be carried straight from the water into the store. The arrangement shows that the moat and the storehouse were planned to work together.
Where a headman's family put its storehouses depended on how goods came and went. The corner position of the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse keeps that logic legible in the plan of the estate.
Small but Solid
The roof is a gable, Kirizuma-zukuri, laid in heavy Hongawarabuki tiles. The walls are clad in vertical boards up to waist height, with white Shikkui plaster above. Timber protects the base, where splashing water and wear are hardest on an earthen wall, and the plaster takes over higher up.
The agency calls it a small but soundly built storehouse. At 42 square meters it is almost the same size as the utensil storehouse on the other side of the estate, which covers 43 square meters.
It was registered under number 27-0103 as a building that would be difficult to reproduce, one of only two structures at the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence registered on that basis.
Visiting the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse
The Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse is part of a private home, and its interior is not open to the public.
Because it stands at the edge of the estate beside the moat, parts of its exterior may be visible from outside the property. Please do not enter the moat or the grounds, and view it only from the public road.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Osaka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse
- [ USJ Tickets Osaka Castle & Dotonbori Food Tours ]
Q&A
- What is the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse?
- A single-storey earthen-walled storehouse of 42 square meters at the east corner of the estate, used to store rice, oil and other goods.
- When was the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the late Edo period, between 1751 and 1829.
- What is special about the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse?
- It has a loading door on the side facing the moat, so goods could be brought in from the water. The walls are board-clad at the base and plastered above, under a fully tiled gable roof.
- When did the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 26 September 2000, as registration number 27-0103, as a building difficult to reproduce.
- Can I visit the Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse?
- No. It is part of a private home and the interior is closed. Please do not enter the moat or the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse (井上良尚家住宅油蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-5-31 Ayazono, Takaishi City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 27-0103 |
| Year Designated | Registered 26 September 2000 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled, single-storey, tiled roof, building area 42 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Inoue Yoshinao Family Residence Oil Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001838
- Takaishi wo Aruku: Historic Sites Guide Map (PDF, Takaishi City Board of Education, Japanese)
- https://www.city.takaishi.lg.jp/material/files/group/22/takaishiwoaruku2.pdf
- Inoue Family Residence (Osaka Cultural Properties Navi, Japanese)
- https://osaka-bunkazainavi.org/bunkazai/%E4%BA%95%E4%B8%8A%E5%AE%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85
Last verified: 2026.09.28
