Miso and books under one roof
The Kamiya Family Residence Miso Storehouse and Library (神谷家住宅味噌蔵及び書庫, Kamiya-ke Jūtaku Misogura oyobi Shoko) is a two-storey timber building of the early Taisho period in Izumicho, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture, registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 18 April 2008. It runs 11 metres by 3.6 metres, 40 square metres in floor area, and stands on the northern boundary as one range with the carpenter's room.
The roof is gabled and tiled, with an eave along the south side. The east gable is sealed in plaster, while the north wall is boarded with vertical battens carried up higher than the usual base panel. Each face is finished differently.
The ground floor is divided into three rooms: miso store, general store and library, running from west to east. The Kamiya Family Residence Miso Storehouse and Library carries registration number 23-0300.
Three incompatible rooms in a row
The registration criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of Japan. What makes this building interesting is that it houses spaces with conflicting requirements in one shell.
A miso store is a place of fermentation and keeping, wanting steady temperature and humidity. A library wants dryness. Setting them along the same range meant placing something between them, and the general store sits in the middle, where it may well have acted as a buffer.
Unlike the rice and treasure storehouses, which are mud-walled construction, this one is framed timber over two floors. Structure was chosen to match use and scale. The main house at the centre of the compound is thought to be mid-Edo in date and holds a separate status as a City of Anjo Designated Cultural Property from 1986.
What to look for
The plastered east gable stands out. Wrapping the wall so that no timber shows gives fire protection, and it also raises a plain white plane at the northeast corner of the estate.
The north wall repays a look as well, boarded higher than a normal base panel so that timber covers a broader field. The Kamiya Family Residence Miso Storehouse and Library shares its north wall detailing with the carpenter's room next door, and the two buildings, each 11 metres long, run together as a single face along the northern side.
The south eave moderates rain and sun from the garden. Three separate uses inside, one long horizontal building outside. The switching of function happens within, and gives nothing away from the road.
Visiting and access
The building is part of a private home and is not open to the public. On the northern boundary, it is difficult to see from the road. Visitors can look at the perimeter of the estate, its gate and fences. Photograph from the public road, not into the grounds. The City of Anjo makes the same request of visitors to local historic buildings, most of which are privately owned.
Take the JR Tokaido Line to Anjo or Mikawa-Anjo Station, then the city Ankuru bus on the Nanbu line to Kaminokiri or Izumi Jozanen. Buses are infrequent, so check times first. About seven minutes' walk south is Jozanen, a garden built by the city on the birthplace of the early Edo poet Ishikawa Jozan. Open 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30, closed Mondays with the following day substituted for a national holiday, and over the new year.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Kamiya Family Residence Miso Storehouse and Library?
- No. It is part of a private home on the northern boundary of the compound and is hard to see from the public road.
- What is inside?
- The ground floor is divided into three rooms, from west to east a miso store, a general store and a library. The building has two storeys and 40 square metres of floor area.
- Why put a miso store and a library together?
- The northern boundary was built as one long range with rooms allotted by use. Placing a general store between them keeps the two rooms with opposite humidity needs apart.
- How is it related to the carpenter's room next door?
- The two were built as a continuous range with matching north wall detailing. Each is 11 metres long, and from outside they read as one wall.
- When was it registered?
- On 18 April 2008, under number 23-0300, together with thirteen other buildings on the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Kamiya Family Residence Miso Storehouse and Library (神谷家住宅味噌蔵及び書庫) |
|---|---|
| Location | 13 Kaminokiri, Izumicho, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2008 (Heisei 20), registered |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Frontage 11 m, depth 3.6 m, floor area 40 square metres |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; exterior of the estate visible from the public road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kamiya Family Residence Miso Storehouse and Library
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007049
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kamiya Family Residence Miso Storehouse and Library
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/144311
- City of Anjo: Historic Buildings
- https://www.city.anjo.aichi.jp/shisei/shisetsu/kyoikushisetsu/maibun-structure.html
- Anjo City Cultural Properties Catalogue: Kamiya Family Residence Main House
- https://www.katch.ne.jp/~anjomuse/bunkazai_zuroku/kamiyake_jyuutaku/index.html
- City of Anjo: Jozanen Garden
- https://www.city.anjo.aichi.jp/shisei/shisetsu/kyoikushisetsu/jozanen.html
Last verified: 2026.08.30