A giso refers to a system put in place to distribute stockpiled grain during times of disaster or famine. This storehouse was used for that system. It was located in Tosashimizu in southern Kochi Prefecture and was reportedly built by Oki Ichizaemon, a local village headman. The giso system began in the Nara Period (710-794), and although it was briefly stopped, it was revived during the Edo period (1603-1867). It is rare for such buildings to remain, and is a valuable cultural asset for its display of the lifestyles and wisdom of those who lived in the day.