A storehouse of the mid-Meiji years at Iyoki
The Kochi Family Residence Storehouse (河内家住宅土蔵, Kōchi-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a two-storey timber storehouse of the mid-Meiji period standing on the Kochi family property at Iyoki in Uchiko Town, Ehime Prefecture, added to the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 July 2011. It sits about 20 meters southeast of the main house, its ridge running east to west.
The building measures 9.9 meters along the ridge and 5.0 meters across, under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, with an eaves canopy on the north side. Its recorded building area is 60 square meters. Multiply the two spans and you get about 49.5 square meters of floor, which leaves the extra ten or so square meters to that north canopy.
The outer walls are ōkabe: the posts are buried inside the plaster so that the surface reads as one continuous plane, the opposite approach to Shinkabe, where the timber frame stays visible. The eaves were treated differently. There the woodwork was left exposed rather than plastered over. Rendered wall below, bare timber above, and that pairing sets the character of the building.
Why it was registered, and what it stands for
The Kochi Family Residence Storehouse was listed under the criterion covering structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country. The main house on the same plot came in under a different heading, buildings that set a standard of design. Its registration number is 38-0100, from the seventieth round of registrations.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the storehouse as one component of an upper-tier farming household's compound. The value argued here is relational rather than singular: the building matters because of the role it plays inside a group. Three items at this address, the main house, this storehouse and a well, all entered the register on 25 July 2011, each with its own number.
Storehouses also record the economics of a farm. Rice, seed, tools and the possessions that rotate with the seasons all needed somewhere dry and lockable. That this household built such a container nearly ten meters long says something about the scale it was working at.
What to look for
The interior divides its floors by material. Upstairs is a single undivided room. Downstairs, three rooms run east to west, the middle one boarded and the two flanking it left as Doma, packed earth. Goods that needed to stay off the ground went one place; goods that could sit on soil went another.
From outside, the eye reads two textures stacked on each other. The plastered plane runs up the wall and stops abruptly where the eaves begin, and above that line the rafters and beams show as bare wood. That switch of surface makes the building look taller than its measurements suggest.
The north canopy repays attention. What it creates is roofed outdoor space, useful for setting things down, for sorting, for working through a wet afternoon. This half-outdoor area is why the recorded building area exceeds the enclosed floor area.
Repairs were carried out around 1997, a little over a century after construction. The storehouse has held its corner of the compound since.
Visiting the Kochi Family Residence Storehouse
The Kochi Family Residence Storehouse is privately owned and not open. Uchiko Town lists the owner as a private individual and publishes no opening days and no visitor reception. You cannot enter the storehouse, and the compound it stands in is private land. Stay outside the walls and hedges.
That leaves the exterior, seen from the public road beyond the boundary. Because the storehouse sits southeast of the main house, the angles available are limited. Keep any photography to the road, and frame it so that residents and house interiors stay out of the picture.
The address is 123-1 Iyoki, Uchiko Town, Kita District, Ehime Prefecture. Uchiko Station on the JR Yosan Line lies about 2.5 kilometers to the south, roughly 7 minutes by car or 35 minutes on foot. No visitor parking or signage could be confirmed, and the surrounding lanes carry local traffic, so do not block them.
Questions about site conditions or any future opening go to the Uchiko Town local government and education section.
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Q&A
- How large is the Kochi Family Residence Storehouse?
- It runs 9.9 meters along the ridge and 5.0 meters across, in two timber storeys, with a recorded building area of 60 square meters. The building area exceeds the enclosed floor area because the canopy on the north side is counted in.
- When was the Kochi Family Residence Storehouse built and repaired?
- It dates to the mid-Meiji period, and repairs were carried out around 1997. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives no more precise construction year than that.
- Why is the Kochi Family Residence Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 25 July 2011 under the criterion for structures contributing to the historic landscape of the country, with registration number 38-0100. The listing treats it as one component of an upper-tier farming household's compound.
- Can you visit the Kochi Family Residence Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned and closed, and Uchiko Town publishes no opening days or visitor arrangements. The land is private, so limit yourself to viewing the exterior from the public road outside.
- Where does the Kochi Family Residence Storehouse sit in relation to the main house?
- About 20 meters to the southeast, with its ridge oriented east to west. A well registered on the same day stands south of the main house, so three listed items make up one compound.
Basic Information
| Name | Kochi Family Residence Storehouse (河内家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 123-1 Iyoki, Uchiko Town, Kita District, Ehime Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 38-0100 |
| Year Designated | Registered on 25 July 2011 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 9.9 meters along the ridge, 5.0 meters across; building area 60 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public. Privately owned; the interior cannot be visited |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kochi Family Residence Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008790
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kochi Family Residence Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/185791
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Kochi Family Residence Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008789
- Uchiko Town: list of nationally registered and designated cultural properties
- https://www.town.uchiko.ehime.jp/soshiki/18/138907.html
Last verified: 2026.09.05