About the Uehara Family Residence Storehouse
The Uehara Family Residence Storehouse (上原家住宅土蔵, Uehara-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a two-storey, clay-walled mid-Meiji storehouse on the west side of a former village headman's estate in Kirigasaku, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2019.
It stands about halfway along the west side of the plot, facing east into the grounds. The roof is gabled and laid with pantiles, and the building area is 50 m². Further north along the same side is the early Taishō Stone Storehouse, which also faces east.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Uehara Family Residence Storehouse to the mid-Meiji era, 1883 to 1897 in its year field, and records that it was moved and renovated in 1992. Its earlier position is not given, and this could not be confirmed.
A Stone Base and Three Tiers of Beams
The Uehara Family Residence Storehouse sits on a base of Ōya stone laid five courses high. Above it rise thick walls of clay in the Dozo-zukuri manner, the fire-resistant construction used for Japanese storehouses.
Inside those walls, posts stand at intervals of half a ken, roughly 0.9 metres, and beams span the building in three tiers. Close-set posts and stacked beams give a frame strong enough to carry heavy earthen walls and a full upper floor.
The ground floor is raised well above the earth, and the inner walls are lined with vertical boards. Lifting the floor keeps damp away, and the boarding keeps stored goods off the clay. None of this is unusual for a storehouse; what the agency notes is how solidly it is built and how good the timber is.
Registered as a Model of Form
The Uehara Family Residence Storehouse and the Shoin are the two Uehara buildings registered as models of architectural form. In the agency's view, the sturdy frame and fine finishes show how an upper-class farming family built its storehouse.
The two storehouses on the west side both use Ōya stone, but differently. In this mid-Meiji Storehouse the stone stops at the base and the walls are clay; in the early Taishō Stone Storehouse the walls themselves are stone. One estate holds both approaches, a generation apart.
Seeing the Uehara Family Residence Storehouse
The Uehara Family Residence Storehouse belongs to a private home, and its interior is not open. Noda City states that the Uehara Family Residence is lived in and cannot be visited inside.
The Storehouse faces into the grounds from the west side, so its front can probably be seen only from inside the estate. How much is visible from the road has not been checked on site. Please photograph only from the public road. Directions are on the Uehara Family Residence (Noda) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Uehara Family Residence Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji era, between 1883 and 1897. It was moved and renovated in 1992.
- How is the Uehara Family Residence Storehouse built?
- It is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse with a gabled pantiled roof, set on a base of Ōya stone five courses high. Posts stand every half ken and the beams span in three tiers.
- What is inside the Uehara Family Residence Storehouse?
- The ground floor is raised high and the walls are lined with vertical boards. The interior is not open to visitors.
- Why is the Uehara Family Residence Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2019 as a model of architectural form, for a sturdy frame and good materials typical of an upper-class farming family's storehouse.
- Can visitors see inside the Uehara Family Residence Storehouse?
- No. The Uehara Family Residence is a private home, and Noda City states that it cannot be visited inside.
Basic Information
| Name | Uehara Family Residence Storehouse (上原家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 18 Maeyama, Kirigasaku, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2019 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 50 m² |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private home; interior closed) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 上原家住宅土蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012878
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 上原家住宅石蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012879
- Noda City: Uehara Family Residence
- https://www.city.noda.chiba.jp/kurashi/kyoiku/bunka/1000585/1024647.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
