Farmers before ironmasters
Before the Itohara were known for iron, they were farmers, and the rice storehouse keeps that older livelihood in plain sight. Built in the closing years of the Edo period, it is the oldest of the family's stores.
The rice store is a two-storey dozō of about 118 square metres, its timber frame packed in earth and finished white, roofed in tile. It dates to the late Edo period, making it the earliest of the registered Itohara storehouses. The family's standing was unusual: registered as farmers, they held a samurai rank under the Matsue domain, and rice was both the base of that agrarian status and a store of wealth in its own right.
The value of staying in place
Listed in February 2004 under the historic-landscape criterion, the rice store belongs to a working group of buildings rather than to display architecture. Its value lies in survival and in place. Ranged with the larger south store and the residence, it shows how an ironmaster household of Okuizumo organised the plain business of keeping grain alongside the finery of guest rooms and tea.
The granary beneath the grandeur
The contrast is the point. A visitor who has walked the forty-room house and looked into the tea garden meets here the granary that fed all of it. The late-Edo carpentry, the fireproof walls and the tiled roof read as the practical underside of a great rural estate. The rice store is viewed from the museum route through the grounds.
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Q&A
- What makes the rice store notable?
- It is the oldest of the registered Itohara storehouses, dating to the late Edo period.
- Why did an ironmaster family need a rice store?
- The Itohara were registered farmers with samurai rank; rice underpinned both their status and their wealth.
- How is it built?
- As a two-storey dozō: an earth-walled, white-plastered store on a timber frame, tiled above.
- How large is it?
- About 118 square metres over two floors.
- Is it open to enter?
- It stands on the museum grounds and is seen from the visitor route rather than entered.
Basic Information
| Name | Itohara Family Residence, Rice Storehouse (絲原家住宅米蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | Otani, Okuizumo, Nita District, Shimane (島根県仁多郡奥出雲町大谷856-1) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registered | 17 February 2004 |
| Registration no. | 32-0021 |
| Structure | Earthen-walled storehouse (dozo), two storeys; tiled roof; building area approx. 118 m² |
| Date | Late Edo period |
| Registration criterion | Contribution to the historic landscape |
| Owner | Privately owned (individual) |
| Access | Open as part of the Itohara Memorial Museum |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00003912
- Itohara Memorial Museum — official site
- https://itoharas.com/
- Okuizumo Town — tourism guide
- https://okuizumo.org/jp/guide/detail/188/
- Shimane Kankō Navi — Itohara Memorial Museum
- https://www.kankou-shimane.com/destination/20282
Last verified: 2026.07.05