What Is the Koyama Family Residence Barn?
The Koyama Family Residence Barn (兒山家住宅納屋, Koyama-ke Jūtaku Naya) is the working outbuilding for pickles, brushwood and farm tools on a wealthy farming family's estate in Tokikita, Naka Ward, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture; it was built in the late Edo period and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 14 February 2002. It is a single-storey timber building of 68 square meters.
It stands north of the main house, next to the inner storehouse on its west, and with the outer storehouse further west it completes the northern range of the estate. An earthen wall closes the gap between the barn and the inner storehouse.
A Deep, Lowered Canopy
The Koyama Family Residence Barn has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. Along the front runs a deep Hisashi canopy carried on Udeki bracket arms and set a step below the main eaves.
The canopy gave a dry place to work and to move tools in and out. Dropping it below the main roof splits the front into two layers and gives a simple single-storey building some depth.
The walls are white Shikkui plaster above a Tateita-bari vertical-board skirting, the same finish as the storehouses on the estate.
Pickles, Brushwood and Tools
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the interior of the Koyama Family Residence Barn is divided lengthwise into three rooms, used to store pickles, brushwood and farm implements. Brushwood was the everyday fuel for cooking and heating bath water, so the barn held the things that kept both the household and the farm running.
The agency calls the barn an indispensable part of the estate and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape. If the main house and reception wing show the family's standing, the barn is the building that shows this was a working farm.
Visiting the Koyama Family Residence Barn
The Koyama Family Residence Barn is part of a private home, and the interior is closed.
Because it stands on the north side behind the main house, the Koyama Family Residence Barn is hard to see from the front of the estate. Please view the estate from the public road without entering.
Q&A
- What is the Koyama Family Residence Barn?
- A late Edo-period single-storey outbuilding of 68 square meters, divided into three rooms for storing pickles, brushwood and farm tools.
- When did the Koyama Family Residence Barn become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 14 February 2002, as registration number 27-0172, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- What does the Koyama Family Residence Barn look like?
- A gabled building with pantiles and a deep front canopy on bracket arms set below the main eaves, with plastered walls over a vertical-board skirting.
- What was stored in the Koyama Family Residence Barn?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, pickles, brushwood for fuel, and farm implements.
- Can I visit the Koyama Family Residence Barn?
- The interior is closed, and because it stands behind the main house it is hard to see from the front of the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Koyama Family Residence Barn (兒山家住宅納屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1404 Tokikita, Naka-ku, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 27-0172 |
| Year Designated | Registered 14 February 2002 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 68 square meters |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (exterior viewing from the public road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Koyama Family Residence Barn (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002651
- Koyama Family Residence (Sakai City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.sakai.lg.jp/kanko/rekishi/bunkazai/bunkazai/torokuseido/koyamakejutaku.html
- Koyama Family Residence (Sakai Tourist Guide, in Japanese)
- https://www.sakai-tcb.or.jp/spot/detail/219
Last verified: 2026.09.28
