Former Nakamura Family Residence Barn

Former Nakamura Family Residence Barn

The Former Nakamura Family Residence Barn (旧中村家住宅納屋, Kyū-Nakamura-ke Jūtaku Naya) is an 1888 outbuilding standing northeast of the main house on a village headman's estate in Ōmano-chō, Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021. It is a single-storey timber building with a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) of pantiles, covering 23 square metres.

The ridge runs east to west, and the building faces south. Its walls show their timber frame (Shinkabe) filled with white lime plaster, except on the north and east sides, which are clad in weatherboarding.

The interior is split in two. The eastern half is an earth-floored miso room with a doorway to the south and no ceiling, so the roof framing is on view. The western half is a boarded tool room with a ceiling and a built-in cupboard on its north side.

Why the Barn was registered

The Barn was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it shapes the view at the northeast corner of the grounds, the back of the homestead behind the main house.

Its two rooms also say something about daily life on the estate. The miso room was presumably where the household kept its miso, and pairing it with a tool store suggests the barn gathered much of the homestead's behind-the-scenes work under one small roof.

Built in 1888, it is the second-oldest building on the site after the gatehouse. It was repaired in 2003.

What to look for

From outside, notice how the wall finish changes from face to face: white plaster between exposed posts on the south and west, boards on the north and east.

Look into the miso room from the south doorway and the roof framing opens up above you, with nothing in between. The Agency's record photographs this room. The ceilinged tool room next door makes a neat contrast within the same small building.

Visiting the Barn

Koshigaya City's facility guide names the main house, gatehouse, stone storehouse and earthen storehouse as the buildings with displays; the Barn is not on that list, so check on site whether you can go inside.

For the best view of its south front, walk along the east side of the main house and turn north.

Opening hours, admission and directions are covered on the Former Nakamura Family Residence page.