What Is the Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building?
The Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building (中山家住宅長屋, Nakayama-ke Jūtaku Nagaya) is a long, narrow late Edo-period storage shed on the north edge of the Nakayama estate in Bessho, Matsubara City, Osaka Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 2, 2004.
It is 18 bays long but only 1 and a half bays deep, with a building area of 110 square meters, second only to the main house. The pantiled roof is hipped-and-gabled (irimoya-zukuri) at the east end and plainly gabled (kirizuma-zukuri) at the west.
Firewood and a Water Wheel
Despite the word nagaya, which usually means a row of dwellings, the Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building was never lived in. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that its eastern 7 bays were a woodshed, the middle was partitioned every 2 bays, and the western 3 bays held a water wheel. Matsubara City's photo caption likewise describes it as a store for a water wheel and other equipment.
A water wheel for lifting water onto the fields, with its own dedicated bay, is a reminder that this was a working farm on a large scale. The Agency also notes the building's role in composing the view of the estate from the north, where it pairs with the storehouse and back gate.
Details Worth Knowing
Each face is finished differently: black shikkui plaster on the east end, bare earthen wall on the north, both above a skirt of vertical boards, and plain boarding on the west.
With a hipped-and-gabled end at one side and a simple gable at the other, the building changes character depending on which end you approach.
Seeing the Nagaya from Outside
The estate is a private home and the grounds are closed, but the Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building stands on the north edge, and its long earthen and board-skirted wall can be seen from the north side. In Matsubara City's photograph of the back of the property, it is the building at the right end.
The city's heritage page also shows it from inside the grounds. Directions are on the Nakayama Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- What was the Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building used for?
- Storage: a woodshed in the eastern 7 bays, a water-wheel store in the western 3, and partitioned bays between.
- How big is the Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building?
- It is 18 bays long and 1 and a half bays deep, with a building area of 110 square meters, the second-largest building on the estate.
- Can I see the Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building from outside?
- Yes, its long outer wall is visible from the north side of the estate, although the grounds are closed.
- When was the Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building registered?
- It dates from the late Edo period and was registered on March 2, 2004, with thirteen other structures of the estate.
- What shape is the roof of the Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building?
- It is covered in pantiles, hipped-and-gabled at the east end and simply gabled at the west.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-623 Bessho, Matsubara City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/3/2 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 110 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (occupied private residence; north side visible from outside) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004010
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nakayama Family Residence Nagaya Storage Building (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/188740
- Matsubara City: Nakayama Family Residence, Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Japanese)
- https://www.city.matsubara.lg.jp/docs/page3510.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
