Chapter 1: The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of spatial structures of Okura-syo owned by Hirosaki domain, and the factors of forming the space. For that purpose, I noticed the inspection station and the eaves of Okura.
Chapter 2: The previous studies and the procedure of this study were shown. In the Hirosaki domain territory, there were the Okura-syo for collecting the tax rice and transporting the rice by ship to Osaka or Edo (the latter is called “Kaimai”). There is an only architectural remains in Hirosaki city. That was one of the several Okura in the Kiko-Okura-syo in Hirosaki castle town. That Okura was renovate. But, we have the drawings of eleven Okura-syo. Those Okura-syo were targeted on this research.
Chapter 3: The spatial structures of each Okura-syo were shown. In the Okura-syo for only collecting the tax rice, there was essential “Onagaya” (a row house used by officers relating to Okura-syo). The inspection station in large-scale Okura-syo, was temporary hut. In all the Okura-syo in Hirosaki domain territory, the okura-syo that the permanent inspection station existed, were confirmed three. Two of these were small-scale Okura-syo that were used for only collecting the tax rice. And one of these was large-scale Okura-syo at export ports. There were many enclosure type as for the type of building arrangement. The others were parallel type. The eaves of Okura could be classified into the following two categories. The first one is long eaves, which covers around the entrance, the second one is "Tomae-hisashi", which covers only the entrance. In the each Okura-syo, there were many “Tomae-hisashi”. On the other hand, the long eaves was one in the each Okura-syo. In the Itayanogi-okura-syo of the year 1692, although the entrance of Okura was two, the inside of Okura was divided space into more than two partitions. For that reason, in the inside of Okura, there was a corridor along the doors. In old mud-walled warehouse that was an okura in kiko-okura-syo in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, there was no partition. In those Okura's inside, the workers were able to pass from a door to next door.
Chapter 4: I examined about the standard form of Okura-syo owned by Hirosaki domain, and the function of long eaves that was set to front of Okura. As a result, the following standard form of Okura-syo owned by Hirosaki domain had clarified. The first one, type of building arrangement was the enclosure type. The second one, in all Okura, the entrance was two, the eaves were “Tomae-hisashi”. But, the long eaves were set to the Okura (that arranged at the back of site) for inspection and place of rice straw bag, when the permanent inspection station was not built.
Chapter 5: In conclusion, it developed that Okura-syo in Hirosaki domain territory were characterized by following two things. The first one, there was a standard form. The second one, the only long eaves were provided on the main building of Okura-syo, in comparison with Okura-syo in the heavy snowfall area in Japan. As the factors of forming the space, it was mentioned that there was a passage inside of Okura, and the permanent inspection station was not built.
