Sakai Family Residence North Storehouse

About the Sakai Family Residence North Storehouse

The Sakai Family Residence North Storehouse (酒井家住宅北土蔵, Sakai-ke Jūtaku Kita-dozō) is a 2-storey earthen-walled Dozo-zukuri storehouse built around 1930 and repaired in 2023, in Rakuma, Maruoka-cho, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2025.

The North Storehouse stands west of the household goods storehouse and was once used for household possessions. At 79 m² it is the largest of the estate's three storehouses.

Two Storehouses Holding a Corner

The Sakai Family Residence North Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, standing beside the household goods storehouse, it shapes the northwest corner of the estate.

It is the pairing that counts here: two storehouses side by side, both with their doors facing south, give the rear of the estate its character.

Notched Weatherboards and a Family Crest

Like its neighbour, the North Storehouse has a 2-storey Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, with a south door sheltered by a lean-to Geya that forms a Kuramae work space.

The difference is in the walls. Above white Shikkui plaster, sasarako weatherboarding runs high up the sides: overlapping horizontal boards held by vertical battens notched to fit each step of the boards. It is generally a more laborious finish than the plain battened boards of the household goods storehouse.

The family crest is set on the west gable, so from the west side of the estate the crest is what you see first.

The roof frame uses Nobori-bari rising beams, set at a slant from eaves to ridge, which leave more headroom on the upper floor. The building was repaired in 2023.

Seeing the Sakai Family Residence North Storehouse

The North Storehouse belongs to a private home and is not open to the public (checked October 2026). We could not confirm whether the crest on the west gable is visible from outside the property.

Please do not enter the grounds. The story of the whole estate is on the Sakai Family Residence (Maruoka) page.