About the Former Arai Family Residence Barn
The Former Arai Family Residence Barn (旧新井家住宅納屋, Kyū Arai-ke Jūtaku Naya) is a single-storey timber barn in Komahongo, Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture, built in 1888 on the estate of the Arai family, village headmen of Komahongo, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014. It measures 11 meters by 4.5 meters, with a building area of 50 square meters.
The barn sits on top of the stone wall at the middle of the estate's southern edge, where the property drops toward the Kinchakuda meadow, and it presents its long side to the view. Only two of the six registered structures can be dated to a single year: this barn and the 1906 guest hall. That makes the barn the oldest building on the estate with a firm date.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a renovation in 2012, while the city's visitor page dates the work to fiscal 2011.
Why the Barn Was Registered
The Former Arai Family Residence Barn is registration number 11-0137, listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out its row of windows and the sweep of its eaves, and says the barn sets off the whole estate when seen from Kinchakuda below.
Hidaka City goes as far as calling it a building quite unlike an ordinary barn. It was a working building for tools and harvest, yet it was also designed to be the face of the estate, and that double role lies at the heart of its registration.
A Barn Dressed Like a Gatehouse
The walls change finish halfway up. The upper part is white Shikkui lime plaster; the lower part is clad in sasarako weatherboarding (Shitami-itabari), horizontal boards held down by notched vertical battens. The city points out that this pairing of boarded dado and plaster wall, pierced by long horizontal lattice windows (Renji-mado), is the same design found on a nagayamon, the long gatehouse that fronted many high-status rural estates.
The national database calls these windows Yorikimado, a type with stout vertical bars. On the Former Arai Family Residence Barn they run in a line along the southeast face, and the effect from the road below is less of a farm shed than of a gatehouse: a band of barred openings set exactly where white plaster meets dark board.
The roof is a hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) tiled roof whose eaves curve gently upward at the ends. According to the city, the eaves are built in the segai style, carried on brackets that project beyond the posts so that the roof overhangs deeply. The roof frame is the traditional Japanese beam-and-strut type (Wagoya).
The barn's position completes the picture. From the Kinchakuda side, the layers stack up in order: Ishigaki stonework, boarded dado, plaster wall, then the tiled roof. Seen from below, it is the Arai barn that serves as the front of the estate.
Visiting the Barn
The exterior of the Former Arai Family Residence Barn can be seen from inside the grounds whenever Komagō Kominka is open. The southeast face with its barred windows can also be viewed from the road below the stone wall, outside opening hours. To appreciate the curve of the eaves, step back and look at the building at an angle.
The barn can be booked for exhibitions and events, so access to the interior depends on the day. If that matters to you, ask the Hidaka City Industry Promotion Division (042-989-2111) before visiting.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Saitama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Arai Family Residence Barn
- [ Kawagoe Little Edo & Moominvalley Park ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Arai Family Residence Barn built?
- In 1888. Among the estate's six registered structures, it is the oldest that can be dated to a specific year.
- Why is the Former Arai Family Residence Barn a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its row of barred windows and gracefully curved eaves set off the estate when seen from the Kinchakuda meadow below.
- What does the Arai family barn look like?
- White plaster above, weatherboarding below, and a line of barred windows on the southeast face, a design the city compares to a nagayamon gatehouse. The hipped tiled roof has upturned eaves.
- How big is the Former Arai Family Residence Barn?
- It is a single-storey timber building 11 meters long and 4.5 meters deep, with a building area of 50 square meters.
- Can I see the Former Arai Family Residence Barn from outside the grounds?
- Yes. It stands on the stone wall at the southern edge of the estate, so its southeast face is visible from the road below.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Arai Family Residence Barn (旧新井家住宅納屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 245 Kaminohara, Oaza Komahongo, Hidaka City, Saitama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 11-0137 |
| Year Designated | Registered April 25, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 1-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 50 square meters |
| Owner | Hidaka City |
| Public Access | Open to the public (as Komagō Kominka) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Arai Family Residence Barn (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009901
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Arai Family Residence Barn (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/230828
- Introducing Komagō Kominka (Hidaka City Industry Promotion Division, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hidaka.lg.jp/soshiki/shiminseikatsu/sangyoshinko/shokokanko/kanko/sisetu/5836.html
- Former Arai Family Residence (Hidaka City Lifelong Learning Division, Japanese)
- https://www.city.hidaka.lg.jp/soshiki/kyoiku/shogaigakushu/bunkazai/rekishibunkazai/1083.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
