A Rice Store Decorated with Plaster Reliefs
The Ogai Family Residence East Storehouse (大谷家住宅東蔵) is a rice storehouse on the old salt road of the late Meiji period in Kashimaku Tochikubo, Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey clay-walled storehouse with a sheet-iron roof and a building area of 45 square metres; registration number 07-0165.
A Water-Wheel Crest in Plaster Relief
The east storehouse of the Ogai family is a rice store facing south onto the salt road that linked the Rikuzen-hama Kaido and the Oshu Kaido; it is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse, gabled and entered from the gable end, with a separate protective roof of corrugated iron (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
A plaster band with swirl patterns runs along the top of the walls and namako tiling around the base (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The gable facing the road has a single window, richly decorated with a plant motif on its lintel and the family's water-wheel crest in plaster relief above it.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the storehouse for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the water-wheel crest in plaster relief above the road-side window and the swirl-patterned band at the top of the walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The owner is not given in the Agency record. No official information on public access was found. The east and middle storehouses and the gate are introduced together on the Ogai Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In the late Meiji period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What did it store?
- Rice.
- How is it decorated?
- A plant motif on the window lintel and a water-wheel crest in plaster relief.
- How is the family name read?
- Ogai.
- When was the Ogai Family Residence East Storehouse registered?
- On August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Ogai Family Residence East Storehouse (大谷家住宅東蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 64 Kashimaku Tochikubo, Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016/08/01 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey clay-walled storehouse, sheet-iron roof, 45 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official access information |
References
- Ogai Family Residence East Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011046
Last verified: 2026.10.23
