An earthen storehouse hidden inside a shelter
The Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse (季子家住宅内蔵, Kishi-ke Jūtaku Uchigura) is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse in Yoshino, Masuda-machi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, built in the late Meiji period (1898-1912) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on February 4, 2021. It was altered around 1969.
The Kishi inner storehouse is attached to the northwest corner of the main house and runs north to south. The storehouse itself is enclosed by a saya, a timber shelter that roofs and walls in the whole structure, so its earthen walls cannot be seen from outside. The building area is 85 square meters.
A plastered gable-entry storehouse registered as a model of design
The Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse measures 5 ken by 4 ken (one ken is roughly 1.8 meters) and is entered from the gable end (Tsumairi). Its outer walls are sealed in Shikkui lime plaster. The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists the roof as board roofing under temporary steel sheeting.
Where the main house was registered for its contribution to the landscape, the inner storehouse was registered as a model of design, under registration number 05-0231. In other words, the recognition is for the quality of its construction.
Yokote City gives the typical size of an inner storehouse in the Masuda townscape as 3.5 ken wide and 5 ken deep. Because the Kishi storehouse is entered from the gable end, its 4-ken span is the frontage, about half a ken wider than the city's average.
A four-step earthen door and lacquered trim
The Agency picks out two features of the Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse as especially worth seeing. The first is the earthen door at the ground-floor entrance, finished with four steps of Kakegonuri: the door edge is built up in stepped layers of plaster that lock into matching steps in the frame when it closes. The more steps, the harder it is for fire and smoke to get through, and the more labor the finish takes.
The second is the lacquered decoration on the saya. A shelter like this exists to keep rain and snow off the earthen walls, yet at the Kishi residence it was given lacquered ornament as well.
Inside, the ground floor has a wooden-floored room and a tatami room the Agency calls a moto-zashiki, which appears to mean a former formal reception room. The upper floor is a single room with a wooden floor.
Seeing the Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse
The Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse is part of a private home, and no opening days or admission details appear in Agency or Yokote City sources. Because it sits inside its shelter and joins the main house, the door and lacquerwork are effectively invisible from outside.
Stay off the grounds and view the house only from the road. The four-step earthen door can be seen in the photograph of the ground-floor entrance on the Agency's database page.
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Q&A
- What is the Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- A two-storey earthen storehouse built in the late Meiji period (1898-1912), attached to the northwest of the main house and enclosed in a timber shelter called a saya. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.
- What does "saya" mean at the Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- It is the outer shelter covering the whole storehouse. Yokote City explains that in Masuda a storehouse behind the main house, covered by a saya and linked to the house, is called an uchigura.
- What are the highlights of the Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- The four-step kakegonuri earthen door at the ground-floor entrance and the lacquered decoration on the saya, both singled out by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- What is inside the Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- A wooden-floored room and a tatami moto-zashiki on the ground floor, and a single wooden-floored room upstairs. It measures 5 by 4 ken, with a building area of 85 square meters.
- Can visitors see the Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse?
- No public opening has been announced, and the storehouse is hidden inside its shelter, so the door cannot be seen from outside. Please do not enter the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse (季子家住宅内蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 58 Muranoato, Yoshino, Masuda-machi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 05-0231 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 4, 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse, 2 storeys, gable entry, board roofing under temporary steel sheeting, 5 x 4 ken, building area 85 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Private residence; no public opening announced (hidden inside its shelter) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013490
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kishi Family Residence Inner Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/594599
- Yokote City: Traditional Buildings of Masuda (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/masuda/1003585.html
- Yokote City: List of Cultural Properties by Category, as of July 22, 2026 (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/005/071/080722itiran.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.06
