A Waterwheel Mill That Ground Cedar for Incense
The Itani Family House Incense Waterwheel Mill (井澗家住宅線香水車小屋) is a waterwheel mill for incense materials of the late Taisho period, extended in 1941 and altered around 1975 in Susami, Susami Town, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 3, 2024 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a sheet-metal roof, covering 179 square metres; registration number 30-0388.
A Mill beside the Kumano Kodo Ohechi Route
The incense waterwheel mill of the Itani family stands beside a river and the Ohechi route of the Kumano Kodo, and ground cedar leaves and other materials for incense (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
It is a single-storey gabled building roofed in sheet metal. A stone-lined channel runs through the centre to a large waterwheel, and the two workrooms on either side use both horizontal and vertical pounders over a total of 16 stone mortars (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a building that would not be easy to reproduce, a valuable waterwheel mill that records the incense-making industry of the Kii Peninsula.
What to Look For
Look for the stone channel and large waterwheel at the centre and the 16 stone mortars (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
No official information on access to the interior was found.
Q&A
- When was the mill built?
- In the late Taisho period, extended in 1941 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What did it do?
- It ground cedar leaves and other materials for incense.
- How many mortars does it have?
- 16, worked by horizontal and vertical pounders.
- How is Itani read?
- I-ta-ni, according to the Agency's reading.
- When was the Itani Family House Incense Waterwheel Mill registered?
- On December 3, 2024 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Itani Family House Incense Waterwheel Mill (井澗家住宅線香水車小屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1046 Susami, Susami Town, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/12/03 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, sheet-metal roof, 179 m², 16 stone mortars |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Itani Family House Incense Waterwheel Mill (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015227
Last verified: 2026.10.18