The household's storehouse at the back corner
Matsumotoya Household Storehouse stands on a merchant plot in Sanchome, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in the late Taisho years between 1919 and 1926 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1 August 2016. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof covering 41 square metres.
It occupies the southeast corner, the point furthest from the street. It is gabled in Kirizuma-zukuri with Sangawara-buki tiles and entered on the long side, from the north, whereas the document storehouse is entered on its gable end. The two are a pair set at odds in the way their roofs run.
A household storehouse held the family's tools, furniture and clothing rather than trade goods. Its registration number is 07-0164, the last of the three here.
Why it was listed
Matsumotoya Household Storehouse was listed for contributing to the historic landscape, the criterion applied to all three buildings.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that its treatment is close to that of the document storehouse. It is not a standout building but part of what makes the set worth keeping.
Merchant plots normally separate trade storage from household storage. At Matsumotoya the shop storehouse takes the street, the document storehouse the middle, and the household storehouse the far corner. Purpose shifts from trade to living as you go inwards.
A concrete floor, and iron shutters
The ground floor is concrete. Against the boarded floors of the document storehouse, that tells you what was kept here: tools and furniture rather than paper, heavy things set down by people who walked in wearing outdoor shoes.
Three windows open on the north face, all with single-leaf iron shutters. There are no earthen doors like the one on the front of the document storehouse. This face is not seen, so it was fitted for use alone.
The lower wall is mortar-rendered with Shikkui plaster above, the same as its neighbour. The two were probably finished by the same hands at the same time, and comparing them narrows the differences down to what use required.
Visiting
Matsumotoya Household Storehouse is privately owned and still in use. It is not a museum, and the interior cannot be visited.
It stands at the southeast corner and cannot be seen from the street. Of the three buildings, only the shop storehouse shows its face to the road. Do not enter the plot.
Directions and the wider setting are set out on the page for Matsumotoya.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Matsumotoya Household Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- What did Matsumotoya Household Storehouse hold?
- The family's tools, furniture and clothing rather than trade goods.
- What is the ground floor like?
- Concrete, unlike the boarded floors of the document storehouse, which suits a building holding heavy household gear.
- How does it differ from the document storehouse?
- That one is entered on its gable end and boarded throughout; this one is entered on the long side and floored in concrete. The wall finishes are much the same.
- Can Matsumotoya Household Storehouse be seen from the street?
- No. It stands at the southeast corner; only the shop storehouse shows its face to the road.
- What is the registration number of Matsumotoya Household Storehouse?
- 07-0164. All three buildings on the plot were listed together on 1 August 2016.
Basic Information
| Name | Matsumotoya Household Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 4791 Sanchome, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 41 square metres |
| Owner | Matsumotoya Limited Company |
| Public Access | Not visible from the street; interior not open |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Matsumotoya Household Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011045
Last verified: 2026.09.17
