Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Chiba

Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse

Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse by the Shrine Path

An early-Meiji storehouse outside the walls of a Noda soy brewer's estate, beside the Kotohira Shrine path: tall but single-storey. Visible on the 10th monthly.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Chiba

The One Storehouse Outside the Wall

The Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅穀物蔵, Kokumotsu-gura) in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, is a single-storey Dozo-zukuri earthen storehouse from the early Meiji era belonging to a soy sauce brewing family's estate, and it was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 March 2018. It covers 74 square metres under a tiled roof and was renovated in 1999.

Most of the estate's storehouses cluster inside the walls, behind the main house or the Shin-zashiki wing. The Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse is the exception: it stands outside the wall that encloses the house, beside the approach to Kotohira Shrine. Its setting alone marks it as a different kind of building from the Hongura or the Okubunko, tucked away at the back.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to early Meiji, giving a range of 1868 to 1882.

Tall, Yet Only One Storey

It runs east to west and measures 10.0 metres by 7.2 metres, a large footprint by the standards of the estate. The Agency notes that it stands tall but has just one storey: the walls rise high enough to suggest two floors, yet no upper floor divides the space.

A single high room suits goods that are bulky or stacked. If it held grain, as its name says, the height would have allowed bales to be piled up, although no record of what it actually stored has been found.

From One Room to Two

The interior was originally one room and was later divided into east and west rooms, each with its own door: the east room opens on the north side, the west room in the west gable. When the partition went in is not recorded in published sources.

Compare the door positions from outside and you can see that the two rooms were entered separately. The change from one store to two, put to different uses, is preserved in where the doors are.

It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, under registration number 12-260.

Visiting

The interior is closed. Because the storehouse stands outside the residential wall beside the Kotohira Shrine approach, you can see its exterior on the 10th of every month, when the shrine opens for public worship. How far the approach is accessible on other days has not been confirmed, so treat the open day as the reliable opportunity.

From the approach, look for the east room's door on the north face and the west room's door in the west gable. The scarcity of openings in such tall walls says a good deal about what the building was for. No published guidance on photography was found; follow any notices on the day. Directions are on the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence page.

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Q&A

QCan I see the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse?: AThe interior is closed. It stands beside the approach to Kotohira Shrine, so its exterior can be seen on the 10th of every month when the shrine opens.

QWhen was the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse built?: AIn the early Meiji era; the Agency for Cultural Affairs gives 1868 to 1882. It was renovated in 1999.

QHow big is the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse?: AIt measures 10.0 metres by 7.2 metres, with a building area of 74 square metres. It has only one storey but unusually tall walls.

QWhat is the inside of the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse like?: AIt was once a single room and was later split into east and west rooms, with doors on the north face and in the west gable respectively.

QWhere is the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse?: AOutside the wall enclosing the house, beside the approach to Kotohira Shrine. It is the only storehouse on the estate outside that wall.

Basic Information

Name	Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Grain Storehouse (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅穀物蔵)
Location	339 Noda, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 12-260, criterion: contributing to the historic landscape
Year Designated	Registered 2018/3/27 (Heisei 30)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Single-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, building area 74 square metres, 10.0 metres by 7.2 metres
Owner	Private owner
Public Access	Interior closed. Stands beside the Kotohira Shrine approach; exterior visible on the shrine's open day (10th of each month)