About the Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn
The Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn (東門脇家住宅納屋, Higashi-Kadowaki-ke Jūtaku Naya) is a small earthen-floored barn built around 1918 in Tokorogo, Daisen Town, Tottori Prefecture, and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on July 12, 2005. It is a single-story timber building under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pan tiles, with a building area of 11 square meters.
This is the smallest of the nine registered structures on the Higashikadowaki estate: 2.5 ken long and 1.5 ken deep. It stands in the southeast corner of the lot, southeast of the dressing room building, with its ridge running east to west. Like the dressing room, it was registered about eight months after the first seven structures.
A Door to the North and an Earthen Floor
The door of the Higashikadowaki Barn is on the north side, toward the west end. North is the inside of the estate, so the barn turns its back to the road and is used from within the grounds. The interior is a bare Doma earthen floor, suited to tools, firewood and work gear.
No published source spells out what the barn held. Its corner position and plain earthen interior, though, mark it as a working building: part of the estate's street front, yet there to support daily chores.
Closing the South Front
The Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it stands along the south road with the storehouse and the gate row house, and that together they shape the formal south face of the estate.
Looking at the Higashikadowaki estate from the south road, the buildings run storehouse, gate row house, barn from west to east. The two-story gatehouse sits in the middle, with the storehouse and barn holding the ends. Without the barn, the east end of that frontage would simply stop. It is a small building doing a real job.
Seeing the Higashikadowaki Barn
The Higashikadowaki Barn stands along the south road and can be seen from it: it is the low, single-story roof continuing east from the gate row house. Walking east past the gatehouse, you can watch the roofline step down from two stories to one. The door faces north and cannot be seen from the road.
The estate is a private home that is not open to the public, and the barn interior is closed. No official guidance on photography could be found as of September 2026.
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Q&A
- When was the Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn built?
- Around 1918 (Taisho 7).
- How big is the Higashikadowaki Barn?
- It is a single-story timber building measuring 2.5 by 1.5 ken, with a building area of 11 square meters, the smallest of the nine structures on the estate.
- What is inside the Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn?
- An earthen floor with no raised boards. The door is on the north side, toward the west, facing into the grounds.
- When did the Higashikadowaki Barn become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On July 12, 2005, recognized for forming the south front of the estate together with the storehouse and the gate row house.
- Can I visit the Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn?
- The interior is not open, but the barn stands along the south road and its exterior can be seen from there.
Basic Information
| Name | Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn (東門脇家住宅納屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 425 Tokorogo, Daisen-cho, Saihaku-gun, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2005 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 11 m² (timber, 1 story) |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open (exterior visible from the south road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004818
- Cultural Heritage Online: Higashikadowaki Family Residence Barn
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/140588
- Daisen Town: Higashikadowaki Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.daisen.jp/10/33/1/s148/p136/
Last verified: 2026.09.29
