About the Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse
The Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse (旧片野家住宅煉瓦蔵, Kyū Katano-ke Jūtaku Renga-gura) is a two-story brick storehouse in Hagurocho, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, built in 1905 and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 6, 2024. It has a gabled roof clad in sheet metal and covers 99 square meters.
The brick storehouse is attached to the southwest corner of the main house and held the household's belongings. Of the three storehouses on the Katano estate it is the only one with brick walls; the other two are traditional earthen-walled storehouses (Dozo-zukuri).
A Ridge Tag Dated 1905
A ridge tag (Munafuda), the wooden plaque traditionally fixed to the roof frame at the raising ceremony, survives in the Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse. From it Yokote City has confirmed that the frame was raised in 1905. Among the five registered structures on the estate, only this storehouse and the miso storehouse of 1889 have firmly documented dates.
The city reads the choice of brick as a sign of a late Meiji building that borrowed the techniques and look of Western architecture. Its survey sheet describes the structure as timber-framed brick: a sturdy wooden frame with heavy brick walls around it.
Inside the Brick Storehouse
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse runs east to west, with its entrance in the east gable end. The doorway has a Kakegonuri door, the thick, stepped plaster door used on Japanese storehouses to seal out fire. Yokote City also mentions the ornate double doors at the openings.
Each floor is a single board-floored room with one freestanding post in the middle. On the upper floor the roof frame is left open to view: heavy beams stacked one above another, carrying the weight of the roof.
What sets the storehouse apart is the finish. The posts and beams are coated in clear lacquer (sukiurushi), which lets the grain show through while giving the timber a deep sheen. From outside you see a hard brick box; inside, the woodwork is treated with the care usually lavished on a formal reception room. That contrast is the reason to come.
Why the Brick Storehouse Was Registered
The Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse was registered under the criterion of serving as a model of design. Only the main house shares that criterion; the other three structures on the estate were registered for their contribution to the townscape.
The 2023 report recommending registration singles out the luxurious finish of the posts and beams in clear lacquer. The building pairs a material newly popular in the Meiji era, brick, with a thoroughly traditional craft inside, and that combination is what makes it a benchmark.
Seeing the Brick Storehouse
The Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse adjoins the southwest corner of the main house, so from the south side of the estate you see the two side by side. On open days, walk around to the garden side to see how the red brick wall runs straight into the timber house.
Whether the interior is open varies from one open day to the next, so check the notice for the day. If you can go in, look up at the stacked beams upstairs and the lacquered sheen of the posts. Follow the on-site instructions on photography. Open days and directions are on the Former Katano Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse built?
- In 1905. A surviving ridge tag confirms that the roof frame was raised that year.
- How is the Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse built?
- It is a two-story brick building with a gabled sheet-metal roof and a building area of 99 square meters. Yokote City describes it as timber-framed brick.
- What is special about the interior of the Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse?
- Each floor is one board-floored room with a freestanding central post, the upper floor shows a roof frame of stacked beams, and the posts and beams are finished in glossy clear lacquer.
- Why is the Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on March 6, 2024, as a model of design, combining brick outer walls with a richly lacquered timber interior.
- Can I visit the Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse at any time?
- No. The estate opens only on days set by Yokote City, and whether the storehouse interior is included varies, so check the city's notice in advance.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse (旧片野家住宅煉瓦蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 65 Hagurocho, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2024 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 99 square meters (brick, 2 stories, sheet-metal roof) |
| Owner | Yokote City |
| Public Access | Open only on days set by Yokote City |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014711
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Katano Family Residence Brick Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/608979
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report on new registrations of structures (November 24, 2023)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/93969901.html
- Yokote City: About the Former Katano Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/shisei/1001176/1001456/1010279.html
- Yokote City: Historic Landscape Building Sheet No. 1, Former Katano Family Residence (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/005/045/000155531.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.29
