About the Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse
The Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse (旧堀切家住宅中蔵, Kyū Horikiri-ke Jūtaku Naka-no-kura) is a two-story earthen-walled storehouse north of the main house on the Kyu Horikiri-tei estate in Iizaka-machi, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in the early Meiji era (1868 to 1882) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2020. On site it is signed as Naka-no-kura (中の蔵).
According to the Kyu Horikiri-tei website, the Horikiri Middle Storehouse predates the fire of 1880 and served as a Zashiki-gura, a storehouse with a formal room inside, from the days when the Horikiri were village headmen. The ground floor was a reception room and the upper floor held the family's books.
It is a two-story Dozo-zukuri building with a building area of 21 square meters, the smallest of the three storehouses.
Why the Middle Storehouse Was Registered
The Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes how it keeps decoration to a minimum and presents a calm, settled exterior.
Where the new storehouse dresses its window canopy with cloud-shaped brackets, the middle storehouse stays plain. The three storehouses share the same red-tiled gabled roofs, yet each carries a different degree of ornament, which becomes clear when you compare them.
What to Look For at the Middle Storehouse
The Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse measures 3 ken by 2 ken, with its ridge running east to west under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of red pantiles (Sangawara-buki). The south face has double-leaf earthen doors (Tsuchido), and the windows have small canopies.
Inside, the ground floor is a Zashiki room with a Tokonoma alcove, and in the very middle of the room stands a fireproof safe. The storehouse walls already protected against fire; adding a safe shows how important the papers and valuables kept here were.
The middle storehouse also displays a copy of the Eikitei name board. In 1800 Matsudaira Sadanobu, lord of the Shirakawa domain, stayed with the Horikiri and named their tea room Eikitei. The tea room is gone, but the name has stayed with the family.
Visiting the Middle Storehouse
Only the ground floor of the Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse is open, during Kyu Horikiri-tei's opening hours and free of charge. The upstairs book room is closed.
The displays explain the Horikiri as wealthy farmers and merchants since the Warring States period and include a daifukuchō account ledger left from the family's moneylending, a photograph of an award certificate and the copy of the Eikitei board (checked October 2026). With the safe and the ledger in the same room, this is where the family's business side comes into focus.
The earthen doors and canopies on the south face are best seen from north of the main house. Next to the new and tool storehouses, the plainness of the middle storehouse stands out all the more.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji era (1868 to 1882). The Kyu Horikiri-tei website says it predates the fire of 1880.
- What was the Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse used for?
- It was a storehouse with a formal room: the ground floor is a reception room with a tokonoma alcove and a fireproof safe in the middle, and the upper floor stored books.
- Can I go inside the Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- The ground floor is open during Kyu Horikiri-tei's opening hours, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with free admission. Displays include an old account ledger and a copy of the Eikitei name board.
- How is the name of the Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse read?
- The Agency's database reads 中蔵 as naka-no-kura, Fukushima City's list gives nakagura, and the signs at Kyu Horikiri-tei write it 中の蔵.
- What is the Eikitei board in the Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- A name board written by Matsudaira Sadanobu, lord of Shirakawa, who stayed with the Horikiri in 1800 and named their tea room Eikitei. The tea room no longer exists, but the board survives, and a copy is on show in the middle storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Horikiri Family Residence Middle Storehouse (旧堀切家住宅中蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 16 Higashitakinomachi, Iizaka-machi, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 3 April 2020 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, two stories, tiled roof, building area 21 m² |
| Owner | Fukushima City |
| Public Access | Open as Kyu Horikiri-tei, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., no regular closing day (occasional closures), free admission; interior open on the 1st (ground) floor only |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 旧堀切家住宅中蔵 (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013220
- Fukushima City: Registered Cultural Properties, Former Horikiri Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.fukushima.fukushima.jp/soshiki/7/1032/2/1/4/2944.html
- Fukushima City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) in the City (Japanese)
- https://www.city.fukushima.fukushima.jp/soshiki/7/1032/2/1/3/725.html
- Kyu Horikiri-tei official site: Facilities (Japanese)
- https://kyu-horikiritei.fckk.co.jp/information/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
