About the Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse
The Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse (佐々木家住宅穀蔵, Sasaki-ke Jūtaku Kokugura) is a two-story clay-walled storehouse built in 1829 in Funaba, Hino Town, Tottori Prefecture, and was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 27, 2017. It is of Dozo-zukuri construction with a tiled roof and a building area of 31 square meters.
A kokugura is a store for rice and other grain. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Sasaki Grain Storehouse to the same period as the main house and describes it as a storehouse that supported the life of a large farming household. Of the four registered buildings on the estate, it is the oldest with a precise year.
A Detached Roof and a Gable-End Front
The Sasaki Grain Storehouse stands southwest of the main house, in front of it, and faces north toward it. It has a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof and is entered from the gable end, the arrangement called Tsumairi.
The roof is an Okiyane: a timber-framed roof set on top of the clay-walled body rather than built into it. The gap between the two keeps fire and heat on the roof from passing easily into the store below. A lean-to roof, a Geya, projects over the front to shelter the doorways.
Inside, the ground floor is divided into two rooms and the upper floor is a single open room.
Two Doorways and a Stone Lintel
The front of the Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse has two doorways. Many storehouses make do with one, so a front with two openings stands out on its own.
Tottori Prefecture notes that the two entrances are given different designs, and the agency's commentary records that the eastern doorway has a stone Magusa, the lintel across the top of an opening. Lintels are usually timber; here the builders set a piece of stone.
The storehouse was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. Two doorways side by side on the same front, one of them capped in stone, give this small store its most distinctive detail.
Seeing the Sasaki Grain Storehouse
The front of the Sasaki Grain Storehouse faces north, toward the main house, so the two doorways and the stone lintel face into the grounds.
The Sasaki Family Residence is used as a guesthouse taken by advance reservation, according to local tourism guides. No public viewing days or opening hours could be found as of September 2026, and no information was found on opening the storehouse interior. No official guidance on photography could be found.
If you are inside the grounds, compare the two doorways side by side and look for the stone over the eastern one. Across the yard to the southeast, the new storehouse built some seventy years later also faces north.
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Q&A
- When was the Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse built?
- In 1829 (Bunsei 12). The Agency for Cultural Affairs treats it as contemporary with the main house.
- How is the Sasaki Grain Storehouse built?
- It is a two-story clay-walled storehouse with a detached okiyane roof, gabled and entered from the gable end, with a lean-to roof over the front. The ground floor has two rooms and the upper floor one. The building area is 31 square meters.
- What should I look for on the Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse?
- The two doorways on the front, which are designed differently. The eastern one has a stone lintel.
- How does the Sasaki Grain Storehouse differ from the new storehouse?
- The grain storehouse of 1829 is entered from the gable end and has two rooms downstairs; the new storehouse of 1900 is entered from the long side and has one room on each floor. Both have detached roofs and face each other in front of the main house.
- Can I visit the Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse?
- No public opening could be found as of September 2026. The Sasaki Family Residence is used as a reservation-only guesthouse, and no information was found on opening the storehouse interior.
Basic Information
| Name | Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse (佐々木家住宅穀蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 357 Funaba, Hino-cho, Hino-gun, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2017 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 31 m² (clay-walled, 2 stories) |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (reservation-only guesthouse use) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012023
- Cultural Heritage Online: Sasaki Family Residence Grain Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/222854
- Tottori Cultural Properties Navi (Tottori Prefecture): Sasaki Family Residence Main House, New Reception Wing, Grain Storehouse, New Storehouse
- https://db.pref.tottori.jp/bunkazainavi.nsf/bunkazai_web_view/03D46270F5E7509C4925814E00004C06?OpenDocument=
- Hinonohi, Hino District Tourism Portal: Stay
- https://www.hinonohi.com/stay/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
