A Smaller Cistern at the East End of the Bank
Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake (中野家住宅下の取水口, Nakano-ke Jūtaku Shimo no Shusuikō) is a late-Meiji (1898–1912) brick cistern on the Nakano family estate in Ifuku, Tara Town, Saga Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 May 2017. It is set into the east side of the bank that closes the north side of the grounds.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs' description, the cistern is about 1.5 metres across, and its intake is an arched opening 1.5 metres wide and 2.2 metres high. It is smaller than the upper intake but shares its technique and design.
A Note on the Measurements
The Agency's database gives two sets of figures for the Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake. Its structure field reads "brick, 2.5 metres wide, 2.3 metres high", while the descriptive text gives the arched intake as 1.5 metres wide and 2.2 metres high.
The first pair may describe the whole structure and the second the arch itself, but the database does not say which. This page gives both.
Why It Was Registered, and What to Look For
The Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake was registered under the criterion for contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency notes that it is well preserved and conveys how the estate's water supply worked.
What makes it worth attention is that it repeats the upper intake on a smaller scale: a brick arch opening into the bank, a round cistern behind. With both intakes and the tank surviving, the whole household water system can be traced end to end.
The upper cistern is about 3 metres across; this one about 1.5 metres. No record of how the two intakes were used together has been found.
Visiting the Lower Water Intake
The Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake lies inside a private estate, in the bank on its north side, and is not open to the public. The grounds cannot be entered, and its visibility from the road has not been confirmed. The only opportunities to see it are events held with the owners' cooperation.
No policy on photography has been published. The history of the estate as a whole is set out on the Nakano Family Residence page.
Q&A
- What is the Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake?
- A late-Meiji brick cistern at the east end of the bank on the north side of the Nakano family estate. It collected water seeping from the hill for the household supply.
- How big is the Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake?
- The Agency's description gives a cistern about 1.5 metres across and an arched intake 1.5 metres wide and 2.2 metres high. Its structure field gives 2.5 metres wide and 2.3 metres high, so two sets of figures are on record.
- How does the Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake compare with the upper intake?
- It is smaller, but the technique and design, a brick arch with a round cistern behind it, are the same.
- Why was the Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake registered?
- Because it is well preserved and shows how the estate's water supply worked. It was registered on 2 May 2017.
- Can I visit the Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake?
- It lies on private land and is not open to the public. Viewing is possible only at events held with the owners' cooperation.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake (中野家住宅下の取水口) |
|---|---|
| Location | Ko 1978, Oaza Ifuku, Tara Town, Fujitsu District, Saga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration number 41-0102 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/5/2 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Brick. Structure field: 2.5 metres wide, 2.3 metres high; descriptive text: intake arch 1.5 metres wide and 2.2 metres high, cistern about 1.5 metres across |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (private residence kept by the Nakano family) |
| Public Access | Private residence, not open to the public; no entry to the grounds |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011599
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Nakano Family Residence Upper Water Intake
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011598
Last verified: 2026.09.25
