A late Taisho document storehouse at the back of the plot
The Matsumotoya Document Storehouse (松本屋文庫蔵, Matsumoto-ya Bunkogura) is a storehouse for papers built in the late Taisho era (1919–1926) on the Matsumotoya plot in Sanchome, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 August 2016. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof and a building area of 38 square metres.
It stands on the south side of the plot, a little toward the east. The gabled roof is laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, the entrance is on the gable end (Tsumairi), and the main face, to the west, has an anteroom in front. Its registration number is 07-0163. A bunkogura is where a merchant house kept its ledgers, documents and books.
Boarded floors and one pair of earthen doors
Inside the Matsumotoya Document Storehouse both floors are boarded, with cupboards built in where they are needed. Choosing timber floors rather than an earthen ground floor fits a building meant to hold paper.
The lower wall is rendered in mortar and the rest in Shikkui plaster. The windows carry single-leaf iron shutters, except for the upper window on the front, which has double-leaf Tsuchido earthen doors. The Agency for Cultural Affairs reads this as a way of giving the building a proper face.
Why it was registered
The document storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. It is older than the shop storehouse on the street and almost identical in design to the household storehouse beside it.
Because it uses iron shutters and earthen doors according to which side is seen, this storehouse at the back of the plot still has a front with some of the dignity of the shop. The gable-end entrance behind its anteroom completes that front.
What to look for
Compare the earthen doors of the upper front window with the iron shutters on the others. Two kinds of fitting on one building show clearly which face was meant to be seen.
Set it beside the household storehouse and the difference is plain: same period, same finishes, yet only the document storehouse has an anteroom and earthen doors on its front. What each building held shows in how its front is treated.
Visiting
The Matsumotoya Document Storehouse stands at the back of the plot and its interior is not open to the public; no opening had been announced as of October 2026. How much of it can be seen from the street has not been confirmed.
The rear of the property cannot be entered, so any view of the exterior should be from the public road. The upper window with earthen doors is on the west front.
Q&A
- Can I visit the Matsumotoya Document Storehouse?
- It stands at the back of the plot and its interior is not open to the public; no opening had been announced as of October 2026. The rear of the property cannot be entered.
- When was the Matsumotoya Document Storehouse built and registered?
- It was built in the late Taisho era (1919–1926) and registered on 1 August 2016, under number 07-0163.
- What is distinctive about the windows of the Matsumotoya Document Storehouse?
- Most windows have single-leaf iron shutters, but the upper window on the front has double-leaf earthen doors to give the building a proper face.
- What is inside the Matsumotoya Document Storehouse?
- Both floors are boarded, with cupboards built in where needed.
- How does the Matsumotoya Document Storehouse differ from the household storehouse?
- Both are late Taisho two-storey storehouses of almost the same design, but the document storehouse is entered on the gable end through a west anteroom, while the household storehouse is entered on its long north side and has a concrete ground floor.
Basic Information
| Name | Matsumotoya Document Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 4791 Sanchome, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/8/1 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, tiled roof, building area 38 square metres |
| Owner | Matsumotoya Ltd. |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (no opening announced) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Matsumotoya Document Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011044
- Cultural Heritage Online: Matsumotoya Document Storehouse
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/241431
Last verified: 2026.10.07
