A 1928 shop storehouse facing west onto the street
Matsumotoya Shop Storehouse is the street-front shop building of a merchant plot in Sanchome, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, built about 1928 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 49 square metres.
It faces west onto the street at the head of a long narrow plot. The shop occupies the ground floor behind a shallow lean-to three shaku deep, and two eight-Tatami rooms sit above.
It is the youngest of the three buildings here. The document and household storehouses date from the late Taisho years, so the storehouses came first and the shop was fitted up afterwards. Its registration number is 07-0162.
Why it was listed
Matsumotoya Shop Storehouse was listed for contributing to the historic landscape, as were the other two buildings on the plot. What counted is its part in the streetscape of Kitakata, a town of storehouses.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a weighty exterior. That weight comes from the finish and the handling of the openings: sprayed artificial stone at the base, Shikkui plaster above.
Kitakata keeps a great many storehouses, but most stand singly. Sets of three with different uses on one plot are uncommon, and this is the building that takes the street.
Three windows, and a canopy with cheeks
The first thing to see is the upper floor. Three windows run across it, each with double-leaf earthen doors. Those doors were made to be shut when fire came near, and setting three of them in a row settles the composition of the front.
Above them runs a small canopy with short walls at either end. Those cheeks guard against fire coming from the side as well as against rain, and they give the flat wall its shadow.
Below, the lean-to projects three shaku, about 90 centimetres, enough for someone to stand out of the rain. The contrast between the heavy upper wall and the low projecting canopy is what makes the building read.
Visiting
Matsumotoya Shop Storehouse is privately owned and still in use. It is not a museum, and the interior cannot be visited.
The exterior can be seen from the street at any hour. Step back across the road to look at the three upper windows and the canopy. Photography from the public road is unrestricted. 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 Shop Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- Can Matsumotoya Shop Storehouse be visited?
- The exterior can be seen from the street at any time. The building is privately owned and in use, so the interior is not open.
- What is on the upper floor of Matsumotoya Shop Storehouse?
- Two eight-mat rooms, behind three windows with double-leaf earthen doors.
- When was Matsumotoya Shop Storehouse built?
- About 1928. The document and household storehouses on the same plot are late Taisho work, so the storehouses came first.
- How is the exterior finished?
- Sprayed artificial stone at the base with shikkui plaster above, and a small canopy with flanking cheeks over the upper windows.
- What is the registration number of Matsumotoya Shop Storehouse?
- 07-0162. All three buildings on the plot were listed together on 1 August 2016.
Basic Information
| Name | Matsumotoya Shop 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 49 square metres |
| Owner | Matsumotoya Limited Company |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street at any time; interior not open |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Matsumotoya Shop Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011043
Last verified: 2026.09.17
