A District Office of 1921, on the National Register
Masuda City Museum of History and Folklore (former Mino District Office) (益田市立歴史民俗資料館（旧美濃郡役所）) is a single-storey timber building of 1921 at 6-8 Honmachi, Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties on 20 December 1996. The quantity is one building: timber, one storey, tiled roof, floor area 340 square metres. It belongs to the city of Masuda.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it in two sentences. Built as a district office, it is a Japanese-style single-storey building whose plan, with a carriage porch at the centre of the front and hip-and-gable wings projecting forward on either side, shows the character of Taisho-period local government architecture. The eaves are high throughout, but a small canopy and transom are set above the lintel line to compose the space beneath them.
A district office was the organ of the gun, the administrative tier that sat between the prefecture and the towns and villages from Meiji into Taisho. The gun system was abolished in 1926, so few buildings put up as district offices survive. At Masuda the office of Mino District was built here, and five years later the tier of government it served ceased to exist.
A T-Shaped Plan and High Eaves
Standing before the front, the carriage porch is the first thing seen. It is the entrance that received callers, and to left and right the hip-and-gable wings push forward. Seen from above the plan forms a T, and the Agency names this as the mark of the Taisho office.
The front keeps its formality while the wings on either side take light and air for the working rooms. The purpose of the building shows in its plan. District and town offices built across the country in the same years took the same form, and this one is registered as an example.
The other feature is the height of the eaves. Though the building has one storey, the eaves rise high enough that from a distance it reads as two. The Agency goes on to note that a small canopy and transom are set above the lintel line, so the wall is not left as one tall plane but divided at eye level.
The roof is laid with Sekishu tiles, produced in the Iwami region. Their reddish-brown glaze makes the roof the one colored element among the greenery along the Masuda River.
From District Office to Museum
After the gun system ended the building served as Masuda police station and then as a general administrative office. In May 1983 it opened as the Masuda City Museum of History and Folklore, holding and displaying historical and folk materials from the Jomon period to early modern times. The registered name records that use.
Age and seismic concerns closed it in March 2019. After repair it reopened on 1 April 2023 as the Masuda City History and Culture Exchange Hall, and in June of that year the nickname Rekishiina was chosen.
The building's use has changed five times, from district office to police station, administrative office, museum and exchange hall, and its outward form has stayed. The register system assumes owners will keep a building in use while maintaining it, and this one has done exactly that.
Rekishiina: The Building in Use
The hall has three areas. The information area presents the Japan Heritage story Masterpieces of Medieval Japan: Savouring Masuda together with visitor information, and is free. The exhibition room holds changing displays of art and archaeological material connected with Masuda, at 200 yen for adults, 160 yen for groups of 20 or more, and free for high school students and younger. The activity room hosts workshops.
The building itself is one of the component properties of that Japan Heritage story. The high ceiling and timber frame are as much the object of a visit as anything displayed within them.
Visiting
Opening hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It closes on Tuesdays, or the following day when Tuesday is a public holiday, and over the New Year from 29 December to 3 January.
From JR Masuda Station it is about ten minutes by car, or by city bus to the Orido stop and a one-minute walk. Parking holds about five cars with overflow space available. There is step-free access with an accessible toilet, and free Wi-Fi.
Enquiries go to the hall on 0856-23-2635.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Masuda City Museum of History and Folklore (former Mino District Office)
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- When was the former Mino District Office built and registered?
- It was built in 1921 as the office of Mino District and registered on 20 December 1996. It is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a floor area of 340 square metres, listed as one building.
- What are its architectural features?
- A T-shaped plan with a carriage porch at the centre of the front and hip-and-gable wings projecting on either side, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the mark of Taisho-period office architecture. The eaves are high for a single storey, with a small canopy and transom above the lintel line. The roof is Sekishu tile.
- What was a district office?
- The organ of the gun, an administrative tier between the prefecture and the towns and villages from Meiji into Taisho. The gun system was abolished in 1926, so few purpose-built district offices survive. This one saw the tier it served abolished five years after it was built.
- How has the building been used?
- After the district office it served as police station and administrative office, then opened as a museum of history and folklore in 1983. It closed for repair in 2019 and reopened in April 2023 as the History and Culture Exchange Hall, nicknamed Rekishiina. Its use has changed five times while its form has stayed.
- What are the hours and charges?
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Tuesdays and over the New Year. The information area is free; the exhibition room costs 200 yen for adults, 160 yen for groups, and is free for high school students and younger. It is about ten minutes by car from JR Masuda Station.
Basic Information
| Name | Masuda City Museum of History and Folklore (former Mino District Office) (益田市立歴史民俗資料館（旧美濃郡役所）); now the Masuda City History and Culture Exchange Hall, Rekishiina |
|---|---|
| Location | 6-8 Honmachi, Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); component of the Japan Heritage story Masterpieces of Medieval Japan: Savouring Masuda |
| Year Designated | 1996 (20 December), registered |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof (Sekishu tile), floor area 340 sq m. Carriage porch at the centre of the front, hip-and-gable wings projecting on either side. Built 1921 |
| Owner | City of Masuda |
| Public Access | 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Tuesdays (or the following day on holidays) and over the New Year. Information area free; exhibition room 200 yen for adults, 160 yen for groups, free for high school students and younger |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online: Masuda City Museum of History and Folklore (former Mino District Office)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/165392
- Masuda City: cultural properties division
- https://www.city.masuda.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/kyoikuiinkai/bunkazaika/3/3149.html
- Masuda City: History and Culture Exchange Hall
- https://www.city.masuda.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/sangyokeizaibu/kankokoryuka/rekisibunnkakouryuukan/8105.html
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan Heritage portal: component properties
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/5360/
- Masuda City History and Culture Exchange Hall, Rekishiina
- https://masuda-rekishibunka-rekishieena.com/
Last verified: 2026.09.05