What the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse is
The Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse (旧甲斐家住宅店蔵, Kyū Kai-ke Jūtaku Misegura) is a 2-story Dozo-zukuri shop finished in 1923 on the Atsushio Kaidō road in Aza Itchome, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2001.
A Misegura is the fire-resistant storehouse a merchant family put on the street as its shop front. The Kai family brewed sake in the Edo period and turned to miso and soy sauce after the Meiji Restoration, and this was where they did business. It covers 103 square meters under a tiled roof, with the shop and a reception room downstairs and a tatami room upstairs, linked by a spiral staircase. It marks the east edge of the estate: the brick east wall runs off its north side, the front gate stands to the south with its ridge in line, and the main house continues behind.
The fourth Kai Kichigorō built the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse at the same time as the parlor storehouse, the main house and the garden. A photograph from when it was new, published by Kitakata City, shows the same street front that stands today.
Why it was registered
It was registered as a building that is "difficult to reproduce." The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes its tall, full 2-story stance and the second-floor eaves pushed far out over the street, and says the detailing around the upper windows shows very fine work.
Storehouses like this are built up from many coats of earthen plaster, and the stepped window surrounds and moldings under the eaves are shaped by hand with a trowel. Matching that level of labor today is hard. Kitakata City is repairing the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse with the original methods and treats the job as a training ground for carpenters and plasterers, which is a fair measure of where its value lies.
It was registered on October 12, 2001, the same day as the soy sauce storehouse.
What to look for
Inside, the feature people remember is the spiral staircase between the floors. Storehouse shops usually make do with a straight box stair, so a spiral is unusual, and it fits the climb into a small footprint.
From the road, look up at the second-floor eaves: they project well beyond the wall and cast a sharp shadow across the tall black facade. The window shutters and exterior trim are finished with great care. Kitakata City describes the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse as blending Japanese and Western design, and the ground-floor reception room is fitted out in a Western manner.
Before the closure it housed the tourist information desk, so for most visitors it was the first building they entered.
Visiting the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse
Because it faces the Atsushio Kaidō, the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse can be seen from the street even while the estate is closed. The front faces east; in the morning, from the east side of the road, the light falls across the wall and shows off the depth of the upper eaves. Scaffolding or protective sheeting may hide parts of it at some stages of the work.
The interior has been closed since April 2023 for conservation work, and the building was structurally reinforced in 2025. The spiral staircase and the rooms can be seen only at the special openings held about once a year; the next is planned for March 2027. Directions and the repair schedule are on the Former Kai Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse built?
- It was finished in 1923, built by the fourth Kai Kichigorō together with the storehouse parlor, the main house and the garden.
- Can I go inside the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse?
- Not normally. It has been closed since April 2023 for conservation work. Special openings are held about once a year, with the next planned for March 2027.
- Can I see the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse from outside during the closure?
- Yes. It stands on the Atsushio Kaidō, so the front is visible from the road, though scaffolding or sheeting may cover parts of it while work is under way.
- What is the spiral staircase in the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse?
- It links the ground-floor shop and reception room with the upstairs tatami room. The Agency for Cultural Affairs mentions it in its description, and it is unusual for a storehouse shop.
- Why is the Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered as difficult to reproduce, for its tall facade, its deep second-floor eaves and the fine work around its upper windows.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | Aza 1-4611, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2001 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 103 m² |
| Owner | Kitakata City |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the road; closed since 2023 for conservation work planned through fiscal 2030 |
References
- Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002351
- Former Kai Family Residence Shop Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/139621
- What is the Former Kai Family Kura Residence (Kitakata City)
- https://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/site/kyukaike/57980.html
- Conservation work on the Former Kai Family Kura Residence (Kitakata City)
- https://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/site/kyukaike/57982.html
- Help revive the Former Kai Family Kura Residence (Kitakata City)
- https://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/site/kyukaike/63259.html
- Former Kai Family Kura Residence (Fukushima Tourism and Products Exchange Association)
- https://www.tif.ne.jp/jp/entry/article.html?spot=6311
Last verified: 2026.10.01
