Ninety years older than the house in front of it
Former Kumakura Family Residence Storehouse stands in Yanagawamachi, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in the late Edo period between 1830 and 1868 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 5 December 2019. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof covering 45 square metres.
It stands behind the main house to the east. On one plot, it is some ninety years older than the early Showa house in front of it: a reinforced concrete dwelling and an Edo-period storehouse side by side.
Its ridge runs east to west under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof in Sangawara-buki tiles, with a lean-to on the west front. Its registration number is 07-0226.
Why it was listed
Former Kumakura Family Residence Storehouse was listed for contributing to the historic landscape, unlike the main house, which was listed as something not easily reproduced.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as setting off the bearing of a leading local family's premises. It was recognised not as a building on its own but as what makes the premises read as premises.
Its presence also changes how the house is understood, because it shows that the concrete building replaced something on a plot already old in the Edo period. Listing two buildings ninety years apart keeps that connection visible.
Plaster carried over the rafters
The finish is the thing to look at. The walls are Shikkui plaster with two banded courses running round them near the top. Those bands are thickened strips of plaster, and doubling them emphasises the horizontal.
The plaster is carried right over the rafter ends. It takes more work, and it means no timber is exposed if fire reaches the building. The care taken shows from outside.
Around the upper opening on the west face the plaster turns black, the single dark point in an otherwise white wall. As the main house keeps its Western detail to porch and veranda, the storehouse changes treatment only where it matters.
Visiting
Former Kumakura Family Residence Storehouse stands behind the main house, so little more than part of its roof shows from the street. Look for the gable over the house.
It belongs to Date City and its opening arrangements are not documented in the sources consulted here. Ask the city if you want to see inside or enter the grounds. Photography from the public road is unrestricted.
Directions and the wider setting are set out on the page for the Former Kumakura Family Residence.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Kumakura Family Residence Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was Former Kumakura Family Residence Storehouse built?
- In the late Edo period, between 1830 and 1868, some ninety years before the house in front of it.
- How are the walls finished?
- In shikkui plaster with two banded courses, carried right over the rafter ends, and turning black around the upper opening on the west face.
- Under which criterion was it listed?
- For contributing to the historic landscape. The main house was listed under a different criterion.
- Can it be seen from the street?
- Only partly. It stands behind the main house, so look for its gable roof over the house.
- Can the interior be visited?
- It belongs to Date City and its opening arrangements are not documented here. Ask the city if you want to see inside.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kumakura Family Residence Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 48 Ushirocho, Yanagawacho, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019 (Reiwa 1) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 45 square metres |
| Owner | Date City |
| Public Access | Little more than the roof shows from the street; ask Date City about access |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Former Kumakura Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013033
- Former Kumakura Family Residence to be registered (Date City)
- https://www.city.fukushima-date.lg.jp/soshiki/5/35392.html
Last verified: 2026.09.17
