Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Chiba

Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shingura

Mogi Shichiroemon Residence Shingura: A Taisho Storehouse in Noda

A c.1912 storehouse at the Mogi Shichiroemon soy-sauce brewers' estate in Noda, Chiba, set behind the main storehouse, with namako tile and white plaster walls.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Chiba

A Taisho Storehouse Behind the Main Store

The Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shingura (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅新蔵), the "new storehouse", is an earthen-walled storehouse built around 1912 at the Mogi Shichiroemon family residence in Noda, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 27, 2018, under registration number 12-257.

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it is a two-storey dozo-style storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 35 square metres. Measuring 9.1 metres by 3.9 metres, it stands behind the main storehouse (hongura) with its ridge running east to west, parallel to that building and almost the same size. It was renovated in 2010.

The Chiba Prefectural Board of Education notes that the Mogi Shichiroemon family brewed soy sauce under the trade name Kashiwaya from 1772. Eighteen structures on the estate are registered, from the main house and shoin to storehouses, gates, walls and the family's Kotohira shrine.

Why the Shingura Was Registered

The Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shingura was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country. Set behind the main storehouse at the same scale, it helps form the line of storehouses that runs through the back of a brewer's estate.

Its roof framing mixes a scissor-truss (sasu) system with Japanese-style king-post framing, under a gabled roof of interlocking tiles. The walls have clapboard skirting at the base, namako tiling on the ground floor and white plaster carried up to the eaves above. It is a Taisho-period storehouse that finishes the fire-resistant dozo form with a combination of namako tiles and white plaster.

What to Look For

The layered wall finishes are the highlight: clapboards at the foot, namako tiling on the ground floor, then white plaster from the upper floor to the eaves. Namako walls are faced with flat tiles whose joints are built up in raised plaster, so a white lattice pattern spreads across the surface.

Notice too how it lines up with the main storehouse. In the Agency's description the Shingura stands behind the hongura on a parallel east-west ridge, at nearly the same size, a pairing that shows how the storehouses at the back of the estate were arranged.

Visiting

The Mogi Shichiroemon residence is still lived in, so the interiors cannot be visited, according to Noda City. The Shingura stands inside the estate, and no official guidance was found on whether it can be seen from outside.

The estate's Kotohira Shrine opens to the public for worship on the 10th of each month, the city says. Directions are on the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence page.

Q&A

QWhen was the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shingura built?: AThe Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to around 1912. It was renovated in 2010.

QWhen was the Shingura registered as a cultural property?: AOn March 27, 2018, together with the other buildings of the estate, as registration number 12-257.

QHow big is the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shingura?: AIt is a two-storey storehouse of 9.1 by 3.9 metres, with a building area of 35 square metres.

QWhat is distinctive about the Shingura's walls?: AClapboard skirting at the base, namako tiling on the ground floor and white plaster up to the eaves.

QCan visitors see the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shingura?: AThe residence is still a home, so the interiors are closed. The estate's Kotohira Shrine opens for worship on the 10th of each month.

Basic Information

Name	Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Shingura (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅新蔵)
Location	339 Noda, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure)
Year Designated	Registered 2018/3/27 (Heisei 30), registration no. 12-257
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Dozo storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 35 square metres (9.1 metres by 3.9 metres)
Owner	Private
Public Access	Closed (private residence)