About the Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse
The Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse (根本家住宅北倉, Nemoto-ke Jūtaku Kitagura) in Ichibu, Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture, is a 2-storey timber storehouse built in 1900 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021.
It stands on the north side of the entrance to the Nemoto homestead. The approach runs south along the eastern edge of the property and then turns west, and the North Storehouse occupies that corner, facing the South Storehouse across the way in. Its footprint is 27 m², somewhat smaller than the 40 m² of its partner. The registration number is 12-0315.
Structure and Finish of the North Storehouse
The Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse has a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) covered with pantiles (Sangawara-buki). Its walls are built in the Shinkabe manner, with the timber posts left visible, and finished in white lime plaster (Shikkui). Around the base the plaster gives way to horizontal weatherboarding (Shitami-itabari); boarding the lower wall is a common way to protect plaster from rain splashing up off the ground.
The windows are on the south wall. The doorway is not cut into the main body at all; it sits in a lean-to (Geya) added on the west side, which makes the west elevation the building's working front.
Inside, each floor is a single open room. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out one feature of the upper floor: a free-standing post, clear of the walls. In a storehouse otherwise defined by its enclosing walls, that post is the element the eye goes to.
Why the Nemoto North Storehouse Was Registered
The Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency's citation values it as one piece of the homestead's overall setting.
Its position matters more than any single detail. The South Storehouse had already stood on the other side of the entrance since 1867, and the North Storehouse, built 33 years later, follows it closely: the same gabled pantile roof, the same plaster over weatherboarding, the same west-side lean-to for the door. It looks as though the newer building was meant to echo the older one, and together the pair frame the way into the Nemoto house much as gateposts would.
The 2 buildings part ways inside. The South Storehouse divides part of its lean-to into a separate room, while the North Storehouse keeps its floors undivided and relies on that single post upstairs.
Seeing the Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse
The Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse stands within a private homestead and is not open to visitors. No opportunity to see the interior, including the upper-floor post, had been announced as of September 2026.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs database carries 2 photographs of the North Storehouse: the west elevation, which shows how the lean-to and doorway are arranged, and the upper floor, where the free-standing post can be seen.
Q&A
- Can I go inside the Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse?
- No. The Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse is on private property and is not open to the public. An interior photograph of the upper floor is available in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- When was the Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse built?
- In 1900. The South Storehouse opposite dates to 1867, so the North Storehouse is the younger of the pair by 33 years.
- What is the free-standing post in the Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse?
- It is a post that stands on its own, away from the walls, in the single room of the upper floor. The Agency for Cultural Affairs mentions it as a distinguishing feature of the building.
- How does the Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse differ from the South Storehouse?
- From outside they are nearly identical. The North Storehouse is smaller, at 27 m² against 40 m², keeps each floor as one room and has a free-standing post upstairs. The South Storehouse partitions part of its lean-to as a room.
- Under what criterion was the Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse registered?
- It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021 as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation, valued as part of the homestead's setting.
Basic Information
| Name | Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 93-1 Shukudori, Ichibu, Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 27 m², 2-storey timber |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (within a private residence) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013962
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Nemoto Family Residence South Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013963
- Cultural Heritage Online: Nemoto Family Residence North Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/572542
- Abiko City, Abiko Digital Archaeology Museum: Nemoto Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.abiko.chiba.jp/kouko/siteibunkazai/nemotokejyuutaku.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
