A storehouse for the family's grain
The front storehouse faces west, standing before the main house. It was built in 1893, the twenty-sixth year of Meiji, and is said to have begun as a rice granary. In a household that farmed on a large scale and also brewed sake and lent money, the store of grain was both food and capital, and a building raised to hold it was part of the working machinery of the estate.
The two-storey timber structure is roofed in tile in a gabled form, with a lean-to running along the front and a doorway set toward the south end.
Why the building matters
The front storehouse is registered under the criterion for structures contributing to the historic landscape of the country. Its worth is as one part of a farmyard that survives almost whole: main house, gate, two storehouses, shrine, bathhouse, fertilizer shed and well-house together preserve the shape of a headman's working estate, which is rare.
The outer walls are plastered over an exposed timber frame, and the lower part is finished as namako wall, square tiles set on the diagonal with the joints raised in white plaster ridges. A window is opened at the centre of the east upper wall, and inside both floors are boarded, with a Japanese-style roof truss above.
What to look for on a visit
The detail to study is the namako base. The raised white lattice over dark tile is not decoration alone; it protects the foot of the wall from splashing rain and rising damp, and its geometry tells you a building was meant to last and to be seen. Compare it with the plainer walls of the fertilizer shed at the north end of the grounds and the difference in status between the two stores becomes plain.
Set against the main house it stands before, the front storehouse helps you read the yard as a composed group rather than a scatter of sheds. The 4,000-tsubo grounds, roughly 13,000 square metres, keep their gardens, house-woods and former fields largely as they were.
The residence opened to visitors in October 2024 after a restoration that ran for several years. It is open on Sundays only, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; admission is 500 yen for adults, 200 yen for high-school and university students, and free for younger children. The grounds sit above the south shore of Lake Tega in the Washinoya district of Kashiwa, Chiba. From Abiko Station on the JR Joban Line it is about five kilometres; buses also run from Kashiwa Station.
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Q&A
- What was the front storehouse used for?
- It is said to have begun as a rice granary. Stored grain served both as food and as household capital.
- What is a namako wall?
- A finish of square tiles set diagonally with raised white plaster along the joints. It protects the wall base and is a mark of a well-built store.
- When was it built?
- In 1893, the twenty-sixth year of the Meiji era.
- How many storehouses are on the site?
- Two are registered: this front storehouse and the older document storehouse of 1867.
- How large are the grounds?
- About 4,000 tsubo, roughly 13,000 square metres, keeping gardens, house-woods and former fields.
Basic Information
| Name | Someya Family Residence Front Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 24 Inarinai, Washinoya, Kashiwa, Chiba |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (buildings) |
| Registered | 29 March 2019 (registration no. 12-0284) |
| Date | 1893 (Meiji 26) |
| Structure | Timber, two storeys, tiled roof; building area 46 m2 |
| Count | 1 building |
| Access | Open Sundays 10:00-16:00; adults 500 yen (see official site for changes) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs — Someya Family Residence Front Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012706
- Someya Family Residence, Kashiwa City (official municipal page)
- https://www.city.kashiwa.lg.jp/bunka/about_kashiwa/culture/rekishi/shiteibunkazai/torokuyukei/someyake.html
- Someya Family Residence, official website
- https://someya-jiemon.com/
Last verified: 2026.07.09