What Is the Former Shioya Demise Barn?
The Former Shioya Demise Barn (旧塩屋出店納屋, Kyū-Shioya Demise Naya) is a single-storey timber barn built around 1935 in Chizu-juku, the old post town of Chizu, Yazu District, Tottori Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 4 December 2000. It has a gabled roof of Sangawara-buki tile and covers 12 square meters.
It stands at the far end of the Former Shioya Demise property, home to a branch of the Ishitani merchant family, right next to the Western-style building. Of the four registered structures on the lot, it is both the smallest and the one set deepest inside.
A Narrow Shed with Doors on Both Sides
The Former Shioya Demise Barn measures 3.5 Ken long and just 1 ken deep, about 6.4 by 1.8 meters, a long, slim shed. Its long sides face north and south, and each has a doorway in the middle.
With openings on both sides, goods could be moved in or out from either direction, or carried straight through. The tiled gable roof is plain, and there is nothing that could be called ornament; the Agency for Cultural Affairs itself describes the Former Shioya Demise Barn as a simple outbuilding.
Lined Up with the Western-Style Building
The barn is built right against the east side of the Western-style building. The detail worth noticing is the direction of its ridge. The ridge of the Western-style building runs slightly askew to the lot, and the barn follows that same skewed line.
The national database dates both the Western-style building and the Former Shioya Demise Barn to around 1935. Because the barn takes its alignment from the Western-style building rather than from the main house, which suggests it was put up as an outbuilding to go with it.
Why a Small Shed Was Registered
The Former Shioya Demise Barn was registered alongside the main house, outer wall and Western-style building as a model of architectural form. Its registration number is 31-0039.
The agency explains that, simple as it is, the barn is a necessary part of the property: together with the Western-style building, it shows how the household grew over time. The main house and outer wall date from the Meiji period; the Western-style building and barn were added in the early Shōwa years. Without the barn, you could no longer see what kind of service building the Western-style house was given at the back of the lot.
The town's guide describes the property as a sequence running from the main house to the Western-style building, barn and storeroom, set in an L along the west and south edges of the lot. The Former Shioya Demise Barn closes the eastern end of that L.
Seeing the Barn
No public access to the interior of the Former Shioya Demise Barn is advertised, so this is a building to look at from outside. You can see it from the garden on the way to the Katsumi Nishikawa Film Museum in the Western-style building.
From the museum entrance, look east: the low gabled roof of the barn continues right up against the wall of the Western-style building. Check from the garden whether the two ridges really run at the same slight angle.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Shioya Demise Barn built?
- Around 1935, the same period as the Western-style building, according to the national database.
- How big is the Former Shioya Demise Barn?
- It is a single-storey timber building 3.5 ken long and 1 ken deep, with a building area of 12 square meters.
- Where is the Former Shioya Demise Barn on the property?
- At the back of the lot, built against the east side of the Western-style building, with its ridge aligned to that building's slightly skewed axis.
- Why is the Former Shioya Demise Barn a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 4 December 2000 as a model of architectural form. Though simple, it is considered essential, together with the Western-style building, to understanding how the property developed.
- Can I go inside the Former Shioya Demise Barn?
- Interior access is not advertised. You can see the exterior from the garden on the way to the film museum.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Shioya Demise Barn (旧塩屋出店納屋, Kyū-Shioya Demise Naya) |
|---|---|
| Location | 545 Chizu, Chizu Town, Yazu District, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), Registration No. 31-0039 |
| Year Designated | 2000 (registered 4 December 2000) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, 1 storey, tiled roof, building area 12 square meters |
| Owner | Chizu Town |
| Public Access | Exterior only, from the garden (no interior access advertised) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Shioya Demise Barn (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002091
- Former Shioya Demise Barn (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/139361
- Shioya Demise (Shioya Demise and Katsumi Nishikawa Film Museum, in Japanese)
- https://shioyademise.okoshi-yasu.com/shioyademise.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
