The Estate's Largest Cistern, Cut into the Bank
Nakano Family Residence Upper Water Intake (中野家住宅上の取水口, Nakano-ke Jūtaku Kami 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. Set into the bank on the north side of the grounds, it collects water seeping out of the hillside.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it north of the water tank and gives the cistern a diameter of about 3 metres and a depth of about 6 metres. Its intake is an arched opening 2.4 metres wide and 1.7 metres high.
Why It Was Registered
The Nakano Family Residence Upper Water Intake was registered under the criterion for contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency records it as the largest of the estate's cisterns, with a plentiful supply that served the whole property.
Follow the water and this is where it starts. Water gathered here was drawn up to the tank and then fed by pressure to each building. A depth of about 6 metres tells you how much of the household's security rested on this one cistern.
What to Look For
The feature to notice is the brick arch opening toward the bank: at 2.4 metres wide and 1.7 metres high it is broad and low, with the round cistern sunk deep behind it.
The lower intake, to the east, has a brick arch of the same kind. Side by side, the Nakano Family Residence Upper Water Intake is larger in both diameter and depth, the main source of water for the estate.
Visiting the Upper Water Intake
The Nakano Family Residence Upper 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.
It is a deep cistern, so follow the organisers' directions if you do get close on such a visit. 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 Upper Water Intake?
- A late-Meiji brick cistern set into the bank on the north side of the Nakano family estate. It collected water seeping from the hill and was the starting point of the estate's water supply.
- How big is the Nakano Family Residence Upper Water Intake?
- The cistern is about 3 metres across and about 6 metres deep, and the intake arch is 2.4 metres wide and 1.7 metres high.
- How does the Nakano Family Residence Upper Water Intake differ from the lower intake?
- It is larger; the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the biggest of the estate's cisterns. The lower intake is a smaller cistern on the east side of the bank.
- Where did water from the Nakano Family Residence Upper Water Intake go?
- It was drawn up to the water tank at the north-west corner of the grounds and then supplied to each building by water pressure.
- Can I visit the Nakano Family Residence Upper 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 Upper Water Intake (中野家住宅上の取水口) |
|---|---|
| Location | Ko 1978, Oaza Ifuku, Tara Town, Fujitsu District, Saga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration number 41-0101 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/5/2 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Brick; intake arch 2.4 metres wide and 1.7 metres high; cistern about 3 metres across and about 6 metres deep |
| 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 Upper Water Intake
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011598
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Nakano Family Residence Water Tank
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011597
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Nakano Family Residence Lower Water Intake
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011599
Last verified: 2026.09.25
