A Stone Storehouse Disguised as Plaster
The Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse (鈴木家住宅石蔵, Suzuki-ke Jūtaku Ishigura) is a stone storehouse built around 1923 in Nishimachi, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) in 2002. It is a single-storey stone building of just 13 square metres, 2 and a half by 2 bays, running east to west under a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) of pantiles, with its door in the gable end (Tsumairi).
It stands at the west end of the Annex veranda. Tradition says it was built by the same local master carpenter as the Annex, Ishii Masakichi, and that construction straddled the Great Kantō Earthquake.
Why It Was Registered
The Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse was registered under the criterion of being difficult to reproduce. What makes it unusual is that its appearance and its structure tell different stories.
Its walls are plastered over, and from outside it looks like any earthen storehouse. Underneath, it is built of Ōya stone from Tochigi Prefecture, a light, easily worked and fire-resistant volcanic tuff that was widely used for storehouses and walls in the Taishō and early Shōwa years. Here the stone building has been deliberately dressed to match the plastered storehouses around it.
Laying stone and then wrapping it in plaster is a double effort that would be hard to repeat today. The small building preserves both the choice of material and the decision to make it blend into the compound.
What to Look For
Its placement is worth noticing. Standing at the end of the Annex veranda, it could be reached by walking straight out of the tatami rooms along the veranda. A store for household goods and valuables was put at the end of the family's daily path.
The airy Annex and the thick-walled Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse were built by the same carpenter at about the same time, a light timber pavilion and a heavy masonry store joined by one veranda.
Visiting
The Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse stands deep inside a private compound, west of the Annex, and is not open. It can hardly be seen from the street, and the grounds are closed. Its Ōya stone structure is hidden under plaster in any case, so the descriptions by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education are the main sources.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse in Kamogawa?
- No. It stands deep inside a private compound and can hardly be seen from the street.
- What is the Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse in Kamogawa made of?
- Ōya stone, plastered over on the outside so that it looks like an earthen storehouse.
- When was the Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse built?
- Around 1923; it is said to have been built on either side of the Great Kantō Earthquake.
- Who built the Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse?
- Tradition names the local master carpenter Ishii Masakichi, who also built the Annex.
- How large is the Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey building of 2 and a half by 2 bays, with a building area of 13 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse (鈴木家住宅石蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1139-3 Nishimachi, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/2/14 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Stone, single storey, tiled roof; building area 13 square metres |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Suzuki Family Residence Stone Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002611
- Chiba Prefectural Board of Education: Suzuki Family Residence Main House and others, Kamogawa (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-067.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
