The Timber Store at the End of the Property
The Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed (旧磯部家住宅物置, Kyū Isobe-ke Jūtaku Monooki) is a storage building of 1875 in Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 9 February 2005. It is a two-story timber structure with a tiled roof and a building area of 52 square meters, second in size on the property only to the main house.
It stands at the far end of a long, narrow plot that runs east from the street, side by side with the inner storehouse. The ridge runs north to south under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles.
Its neighbor is an earthen-walled storehouse, sealed in plaster. The Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed is left as exposed timber. Goods that had to be protected went into the plastered storehouses; materials that were moved in and out daily went here. The distinction is built into the two buildings standing next to each other.
Inuyama City presents this building to visitors under the name Tenjigura, the exhibition storehouse. The name on the Agency for Cultural Affairs register is Kyu Isobe-ke Jutaku Monooki, and the two refer to the same structure.
Why It Was Registered, and How It Is Framed
The criterion applied reads "contributes to the historic landscape of the nation." The register number is 23-0172, from the forty-fifth round, listed on the same day as the main house, the rear parlor, the storehouse and the inner storehouse.
The framing is what makes it interesting. A single free-standing post rises in the middle of the building, carrying second-floor beams that run the length of the structure and support the floor joists above. The roof uses wagoya framing, the Japanese method in which short struts stand on the beams to carry the purlins, with no diagonal ties of the kind a Western truss would use. One post inside the room is all that holds up a wide floor with no partitions.
Both levels are floored for storage, and the north side of the ground floor opens fully, which suits the handling of bulky loads. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database describes the building as large in scale and integral to the arrangement at the rear of the property.
Nothing here competes for architectural effect. The Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed earned its listing because the way a merchant's plot divided its functions between front and back cannot be explained without it.
What to Look For
Once inside, find the central post. That single column and the beams running out from it along the length of the building are the whole skeleton. Where a storehouse carries its loads in thick walls, this one carries them in a timber frame.
Look up at the roof structure as well. Standing where the underside of the roof is visible, you can read the depth of the timbers and see where the joints fall.
The two floors are now rented out as Exhibition Storehouse 1 and 2, each 50.09 square meters. They were a materials store and a workshop; today they hold shows of painting and calligraphy, craft workshops and community gatherings.
Visiting on an exhibition day tells you most about the building. A wide unpartitioned floor built for stacking cargo turns out to suit hanging pictures, which is one reason the Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed has stayed useful.
Visiting
The building is open year round as part of the Former Isobe Residence Restored Facility, and admission is free. Hours are 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. The site closes from 29 to 31 December, and may close at short notice when a weather warning is issued.
Hiring the space carries a separate fee. Inuyama residents may apply from the first day of the month three months before the date of use, others from the first day of the month two months before. Visitors can still enter free of charge while an exhibition is running.
A portable ramp is available for wheelchair access, arranged in advance with the Historic Town Development Division of the Inuyama City Board of Education on 0568-44-0354. Personal photography is permitted, but commercial shoots, filming with equipment and photography in special costume require a written proposal submitted beforehand.
The walk from the west exit of Meitetsu Inuyama Station takes about ten minutes, and Inuyama is roughly 25 minutes from Meitetsu Nagoya by limited express. The Wanmaru-kun community bus stops at Ekimae-dori, two minutes away on foot. There is no parking at the site. Telephone 0568-65-3444 to check how the Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed is being used on the day of your visit.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed, and what does it cost?
- Yes, and admission is free. The site opens at 9:00 and closes at 17:00, with last entry at 16:30, and closes from 29 to 31 December.
- Is the Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed the same building as the Tenjigura exhibition storehouse?
- It is. The name on the Agency for Cultural Affairs register is Kyu Isobe-ke Jutaku Monooki; Inuyama City uses Tenjigura for the same structure in its visitor information.
- How old is the Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed?
- It was built in 1875, the same year as the storehouse and the inner storehouse on the same plot. The main house dates from the 1860s and the rear parlor from the Taishō period.
- Why is the Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed not built with earthen walls?
- Because its job was different. Stock that needed protecting went into the plastered storehouses, while materials and working space were housed in timber. Standing beside the inner storehouse, the two buildings show the division clearly.
- Can the Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed be hired as an exhibition space?
- Both floors are available for a fee as Exhibition Storehouse 1 and 2, each 50.09 square meters. Inuyama residents may apply from the first of the month three months ahead; others from the first of the month two months ahead.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Isobe Family Residence Storage Shed |
|---|---|
| Location | 72 Higashikoken, Oaza Inuyama, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2005 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 52 square meters |
| Owner | Inuyama City |
| Public Access | Open to the public, free admission, 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kyu Isobe-ke Jutaku Monooki
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004568
- Inuyama City: About the Former Isobe Residence Restored Facility
- https://www.city.inuyama.aichi.jp/kurashi/bunka/1001052/1003550/1001061.html
- Inuyama City: Facility Guide, Former Isobe Residence Restored Facility
- https://www.city.inuyama.aichi.jp/shisetsu/koukyoshisetsu/1001550/1001500.html
Last verified: 2026.08.31