About the Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop
The Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop (奥野本家住宅作業場, Okuno Motoke Jūtaku Sagyōba) is a single-story timber outbuilding in Mori, Hakuta-cho, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, built in 1923 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2005. It covers 78 square meters and occupies the northwest corner of the plot.
Four of the five Okuno Motoke buildings were registered as models of form. The workshop alone was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, with the Agency for Cultural Affairs crediting it with shaping the view at the northwest corner of the estate.
Half Parlor, Half Work Floor
Inside, the Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop is split in two. The western half is board-floored and fitted out as a plain sitting room. The eastern half is an earth-floored work area.
The roof space above is used for storage, and a window in the small wall on the south side lets in light. A floored room for a pause, an earth floor for the work itself, and storage overhead: nothing in this building is wasted.
Open to the South, Roofed with the Rice Storehouse
The Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop is a single-story Shinkabe post-and-plaster building with a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantile (Sangawara-buki) roof running east to west. Its south side is left open, and its roof and earth-floored canopy carry straight on to the rice storehouse next door.
The two buildings went up together in 1923, and their joined roofline makes them read as one. The workshop closes the far end of the row that runs from the barn through the rice storehouse.
Visiting the Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop
The Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop has no announced public opening. It stands in the northwest corner of the plot, and whether it can be seen from the surrounding streets has not been confirmed.
For questions about visiting, contact the owner, Yasugi City, through the Culture Division of its Board of Education. There is no official guidance on photography. Directions are on the Okuno Motoke Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shimane
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop
- [ Izumo Taisha Shrine & Adachi Museum Gardens ]
Q&A
- Can you visit the Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop?
- No public opening has been announced. Ask the owner, Yasugi City (Board of Education Culture Division), about access.
- When was the Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop built?
- In 1923, the same year as the rice storehouse beside it.
- What is inside the Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop?
- A plain board-floored sitting room in the west half, an earth-floored work area in the east half, and storage in the roof space.
- Why was the Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop registered?
- For its contribution to the historic landscape, as the building that shapes the northwest corner of the estate.
- How big is the Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop?
- It is a single-story timber building with a building area of 78 square meters, second only to the main house on the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop (奥野本家住宅作業場) |
|---|---|
| Location | 27 Mori, Hakuta-cho, Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2005 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 78 square meters (single-story timber, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Yasugi City |
| Public Access | No public opening announced |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Okuno Motoke Residence Workshop
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004614
- Shimane Prefecture: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.shimane.lg.jp/life/bunka/bunkazai/shimane/tourokubunkazai2.html
- Yasugi City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Yasugi (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.yasugi.shimane.jp/kurashi/bunka/bunkazai/sibunkazai.data/tourokubunkazai.pdf
- Yasugi City: Cultural Properties of Yasugi (contact: Board of Education Culture Division)
- https://www.city.yasugi.shimane.jp/kurashi/bunka/bunkazai/sibunkazai.html
Last verified: 2026.10.06
