What Is the Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn?
The Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn (旧大谷家住宅作業納屋, Kyū Ōtani-ke Jūtaku Sagyō Naya) is a timber work building, partly two stories, built in 1944 in Mizuochi, Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on 26 March 2015. Its building area is 74 m².
It runs along the eastern edge of the estate. Built a year after the barn, still in wartime, it is the largest of the outbuildings after the main house.
A Snow-Country Work Building
The Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn measures 7 Ken by 2.5 ken under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantile roof (Sangawara-buki), with a lean-to Geya on the west side.
The southern 5 ken are an earth-floored Doma open to the rafters, a tall working space with no ceiling. Only the northern 2 ken have an upper floor laid on joists, and that loft held the tools. One long building divides cleanly into a work floor and a tool store, a plan dictated by use.
The walls are of the exposed-post Shinkabe type, faced with clapboard (Shitami-itabari) on the east side and on the north and south gable ends. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls this arrangement typical of snowy regions: the weather sides are sheathed in boards, while the west side, facing into the estate, sits under the lean-to. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The Open Work Floor and Boarded Walls
The long walls are the thing to look at on the Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn. From the east, outside the estate, horizontal clapboard runs the full 7 ken, a plain and sturdy face typical of farm work buildings.
From inside the estate the building looks different. The west lean-to projects low, and behind it you can read the grid of posts and wall panels of the shinkabe construction.
The partial second floor also shows from outside. Walk the length of Ōtani-ke Sagyō Naya and try to place where the open work floor ends and the tool loft begins.
Visiting the Work Barn
The Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn stands inside the museum grounds, so admission lets you see its exterior at close range. Oyabe City's official pages do not say whether the interior is open; ask at reception if you would like to look inside.
The clapboarded east side faces outward, so you see it over the wall or from the road outside the estate. The west side and lean-to are visible from within the grounds.
The official pages do not state a photography policy either, so check at reception.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Toyama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn
- [ Kurobe Gorge Train & Tateyama Alpine Route ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1944.
- How is the interior of the Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn laid out?
- The southern 5 ken are an earth-floored work space open to the roof, and the northern 2 ken have a loft floor where tools were stored.
- Can I go inside the Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn?
- The official pages do not say whether the interior is open. Museum visitors can see the exterior; ask at reception about the interior.
- Why is the Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn described as suited to snowy regions?
- Its exposed-post walls are sheathed in clapboard on the east side and both gable ends, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies as a snow-country form.
- When was the Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 26 March 2015, registration number 16-0105.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn |
|---|---|
| Location | 35 Mizuochi, Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2015 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 74 m² (timber, partly two stories; 7 ken by 2.5 ken) |
| Owner | Oyabe City |
| Public Access | Exterior visible within the Oyabe City Otani Museum grounds (ask about interior access) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010438
- Former Otani Family Residence Work Barn (Toyama Cultural Heritage)
- https://toyama-bunkaisan.jp/search/2533/
- Oyabe City Otani Museum (Oyabe City)
- https://www.city.oyabe.toyama.jp/bunkasports/1003003/1003024/1004676.html
Last verified: 2026.09.23
