A late Taisho household storehouse in the southeast corner
The Matsumotoya Household Storehouse (松本屋家財蔵, Matsumoto-ya Kazaigura) is a storehouse for household goods 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 41 square metres.
It occupies the southeast corner of the plot. The gabled roof is laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, the entrance is on the long side (Hirairi), and the doorway opens to the north. Its registration number is 07-0164. A kazaigura held a household's furniture, utensils and other belongings.
A concrete floor and iron shutters to the north
The ground floor of the Matsumotoya Household Storehouse is a concrete-floored space. Set against the boarded floors of the document storehouse, it suggests a building made for heavier things that went in and out more often.
The lower wall is rendered in mortar and the rest in Shikkui plaster. Three windows open on the north side, each with a single-leaf iron shutter. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that its design is almost the same as that of the document storehouse.
Why it was registered
The household storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. It belongs to the same late Taisho phase as the document storehouse, and the two stand at the back of the plot as a matched pair.
It has neither the anteroom nor the earthen-doored front window of its neighbour; its doorway and windows are gathered on the north side in a plainly practical arrangement. Comparing the pair, the difference in what they held shows in their floors and openings.
What to look for
Look at the north side, where the doorway and the three iron-shuttered windows are grouped together. With every opening on one face, the storehouse is easy to load from inside the plot.
Notice too which way the roof runs. The document storehouse is entered on its gable end, the household storehouse on its long side, and that one choice is enough to set the neighbouring buildings apart.
Visiting
The Matsumotoya Household Storehouse stands in the southeast corner 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.
Q&A
- Can I visit the Matsumotoya Household Storehouse?
- It stands in the southeast corner 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 Household Storehouse built and registered?
- It was built in the late Taisho era (1919–1926) and registered on 1 August 2016, under number 07-0164.
- What is inside the Matsumotoya Household Storehouse?
- The ground floor is a concrete-floored space.
- Where are the doorway and windows of the Matsumotoya Household Storehouse?
- The doorway opens to the north, and the same north side has three windows with single-leaf iron shutters.
- Is the Matsumotoya Household Storehouse similar to the document storehouse?
- Its wall finishes and iron-shuttered windows are almost the same, but it has no anteroom or earthen-doored front window, and it is entered on the long side rather than the gable end.
Basic Information
| Name | Matsumotoya Household 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 41 square metres |
| Owner | Matsumotoya Ltd. |
| Public Access | Closed to the public (no opening announced) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Matsumotoya Household Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011045
- Cultural Heritage Online: Matsumotoya Household Storehouse
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/269472
Last verified: 2026.10.07
