Ishibashi Family Residence East Storehouse

A Meiji Rice Storehouse North of the Gate

The Ishibashi Family Residence East Storehouse (石橋家住宅東の蔵, Ishibashi-ke Jūtaku Higashi no Kura) is a Meiji-period (1868–1911) rice storehouse at the Ishibashi Family Residence in Kuizaki, Narita City, Chiba Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (registration number 12-0018) on July 8, 1999. A single-storey Dozo-zukuri building under a tiled gable roof (Kirizuma-zukuri), it stands north of the front gate with its ridge running north to south, and covers 30 square meters.

It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1999 for its contribution to the historic landscape. With the gate and the South Storehouse, the East Storehouse lines the road and makes up the estate's public face.

Despite the name, the Agency for Cultural Affairs places it north of the gate. The sources do not explain why it is called the east storehouse.

How the Ishibashi East Storehouse Is Built

Both the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Chiba Prefecture describe the Ishibashi Family Residence East Storehouse as a rice store built in almost the same way as the South Storehouse. So the family's rice was kept right beside the gate, on the road.

It has one window on the road side and, in the south gable end, a window with double hinged doors (Kannon-biraki). A lean-to roof (Geya) covers the west side, away from the road.

A flanking wall (Sodobei) closes the gap between it and the gate, whereas the gap on the South Storehouse side holds a side door.

Boards Up to the Eaves

The clearest difference between the Ishibashi Family Residence East Storehouse and its southern twin is how high the wood cladding goes. The South Storehouse has boards only along the base of its walls. The East Storehouse carries them up to just below the plastered band at the eaves (Hachimaki).

From the road, then, the East Storehouse looks wrapped in timber, with earthen wall showing only near the eaves. The Agency for Cultural Affairs reads this as a deliberate variation between two otherwise similar buildings. The window count differs too, one toward the road against two on the South Storehouse, so the storehouses on either side of the gate match without being identical.

Visiting the Ishibashi Family Residence East Storehouse

The Ishibashi Family Residence East Storehouse is part of a private home that Narita City lists as closed to the public, and the interior cannot be entered. The road-facing east side can be seen from the public street.

The hinged window in the south gable end sits on the flanking-wall side of the gate, and how much of it shows from the road could not be confirmed. To compare the cladding of the two storehouses, stand across the road facing the gate: both come into view at once.