A goods store swallowed by the house
Fukunishi Main Storehouse is a storehouse in a merchant compound in Nakamachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in 1886 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 55 square metres.
It stands towards the east of the main house, absorbed into it, its ridge running east to west. It does not stand free: the main house of about 1915 was later built around it. The walls are Shikkui plaster.
The west gable opens onto the main house corridor and the east gable onto the storehouse forecourt corridor, both with double plastered doors. With a corridor on either side, this storehouse can be walked straight through under cover.
Why it was listed
Fukunishi Main Storehouse was listed as a model of design, under registration number 07-0217.
The case rests on the roof frame. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a bold structure with a long tie beam and ridge piece. For a building meant to hold stock, considerable timber went into carrying the roof.
It was originally a goods store. The interior has been altered, including the removal of part of the upper floor, and it is precisely that alteration which made the roof frame visible. Here the change did not cost the building its value.
A house wrapped around a storehouse
The subject at Fukunishi Main Storehouse is the relation between storehouse and house. The storehouse went up in 1886; the main house followed 29 years later, about 1915, and built itself around it.
So the exterior cannot be seen whole. Only the west and east gables appear, facing corridors, while the north and south walls are inside the house. In places the outside wall of a storehouse is the inside wall of a dwelling.
Look up and the roof frame is there. With part of the upper floor gone, the eye runs from the ground to the ridge. The phrase about a long tie beam only makes sense once you are standing under it.
Visiting
Fukunishi Main Storehouse is enclosed by the house and cannot be seen from the street. You reach its gable ends from the corridors of the main house, on the paid visit.
Whether the interior is open depends on the visitor route, and whether you can stand where the roof frame shows varies through the year. Ask at the reception desk.
Admission, hours, closing days and directions are set out on the page for Fukunishi Honten.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fukunishi Main Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- Why does Fukunishi Main Storehouse sit inside the house?
- Because the storehouse came first. Built in 1886, it was enclosed when the main house went up around it about 1915.
- What is worth looking at in Fukunishi Main Storehouse?
- The roof frame. Part of the upper floor has been removed, so the eye runs from the ground to the ridge across unusually heavy timbers.
- What was Fukunishi Main Storehouse used for?
- It was a goods store. The interior has since been altered, including the removal of part of the upper floor.
- Can Fukunishi Main Storehouse be seen from the street?
- No. It is enclosed by the house, so you reach its gable ends from the corridors on the paid visit.
- What is the registration number of Fukunishi Main Storehouse?
- 07-0217, listed on 5 December 2019.
Basic Information
| Name | Fukunishi Main Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 321 Nakamachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019 (Reiwa 1) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 55 square metres |
| Owner | Aizuwakamatsu Urban Development Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Interior as the route allows; exterior from within the compound |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Fukunishi Main Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013024
- Fukunishi Honten official site
- https://fukunishi-honten.com/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
