A Fireproof Shop on the Main Street
The Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse (旧斎藤家住宅店蔵, Kyū-Saitō-ke Jūtaku Misegura) is a two-storey, plaster-walled Dozo-zukuri shop of the mid-Meiji era facing west onto the old main street of Ichinomiya, Chiba Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 28, 2017. The Saito family, wholesalers of katsuobushi (dried bonito) and other marine goods, built it as the public face of their business.
It measures 8.5 metres by 7.1 metres, with a building area of 61 square metres. The tiled Kirizuma-zukuri gable roof runs parallel to the street, so the long side faces the passer-by in the Hirairi manner, and a lean-to Geya roof 1 bay deep projects from the front. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the building to the mid-Meiji period, 1883 to 1897. Ichinomiya Town estimates around 1897, the same date as the main house behind it. Part of the building was renovated in 2014.
Today the Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse operates as Suya Honke, a café that carries on the family's trade name.
Why It Was Registered
The shop storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. A two-storey block with thick plastered walls standing right on the street is hard to miss, and it anchors the streetscape of Ichinomiya's old town.
The Agency's citation describes the facade, with its triple windows and a plastered cornice built up in bands under the eaves, as weighty and imposing. For a merchant holding stock and account books, building the shop in fire-resistant storehouse construction was a sensible choice, and the scale of the Saito business shows in the face it turned to the street.
The interior reflects how a merchant house worked. On the ground floor, the area under the lean-to and the southwest part are an earthen-floored Doma, and the rest is boarded. Upstairs is a well-finished tatami Zashiki room. The layout suggests that customers were dealt with at the earthen shopfront, while the upper room served guests and household purposes.
What to Look For
Step across the street to take in the facade. The triple windows on the upper floor and the stepped plaster cornice under the eaves throw shadows across the wall. Because the front faces west, afternoon light rakes across it and makes the relief of the plasterwork easiest to read.
At street level, look at the lean-to that projects 1 bay from the front. It puts a light roof in front of the heavy storehouse body and creates the shopfront, a buffer between the road and the business.
Once inside, try to work out where the earthen floor ends and the boards begin; the Agency's record places the earthen area under the lean-to and toward the southwest. If you are allowed upstairs, the tatami room shows how much care went into the upper floor of a merchant's storehouse.
Visiting
The Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse is privately owned, and you can go inside while the Suya Honke café is open. Opening days and hours are not published in any fixed form, so check the contact details on the Ichinomiya Tourism Association's page or the café's own announcements before you go. The association's listing notes parking and restrooms.
The facade can be seen from the street at any time. Whether you can go up to the tatami room and whether photography is allowed inside are questions for the café staff. Please do not enter the grounds outside opening hours.
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Q&A
- Can you go inside the Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse?
- Yes. It operates as the Suya Honke café, and visitors can enter during opening hours. Check the opening days and hours in advance.
- When was the Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji period (1883 to 1897); Ichinomiya Town estimates around 1897. Part of it was renovated in 2014.
- How big is the Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse in Ichinomiya?
- It is a two-storey storehouse-style building measuring 8.5 metres by 7.1 metres, with a building area of 61 square metres and a lean-to 1 bay deep at the front.
- What is distinctive about the facade of the Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse?
- It has a tiled gable roof set parallel to the street, triple windows and a plastered cornice under the eaves. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the facade as weighty and imposing.
- When was the Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On June 28, 2017, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, together with the main house, the storehouse and the Inari shrine.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse (旧斎藤家住宅店蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2987-1 Ichinomiya (Torimachi 3-chome), Ichinomiya Town, Chosei District, Chiba Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/6/28 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey storehouse construction, tiled roof, 8.5 metres by 7.1 metres, building area 61 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Operates as a café (check opening days and hours in advance) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011652
- Ichinomiya Town: Former Saito Family Residence Shop Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://www.town.ichinomiya.chiba.jp/kankou/kankouannai/bunkazai/yuukei/420.html
- Chiba Prefectural Board of Education: Former Saito Family Residence Main House and Others (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-097.html
- Ichinomiya Tourism Association: Suya Honke (Japanese)
- https://ichinomiya.org/spot/%E5%AF%BF%E5%B1%8B%E6%9C%AC%E5%AE%B6%EF%BC%88%E3%81%99%E3%82%84%E3%81%BB%E3%82%93%E3%81%91%EF%BC%89/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
