A Store for Sake and Soy Sauce on the Salt Road
The Ogai Family Residence Middle Storehouse (大谷家住宅中蔵) is a storehouse for sake and soy sauce of the early Showa 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 54 square metres; registration number 07-0166.
Matching the East Storehouse
The middle storehouse of the Ogai family stands west of the east storehouse and held sake and soy sauce; it is a two-storey clay-walled store, gabled and entered from the gable end, with a separate corrugated-iron roof and a tiled canopy on the north (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
It is half a bay longer than the east storehouse, but its swirl-patterned band at the top of the walls and namako tiling at the base follow a similar design (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Their placing along the street shows that the house was a hub for the movement of goods.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the storehouse for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the way it lines up with the east storehouse along the street, with matching bands and namako 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 early Showa period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What did it store?
- Sake and soy sauce.
- How does it differ from the east storehouse?
- It is half a bay longer, with a tiled canopy on the north.
- What does its placing show?
- That the house was a hub for goods.
- When was the Ogai Family Residence Middle Storehouse registered?
- On August 1, 2016 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Ogai Family Residence Middle Storehouse (大谷家住宅中蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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, 54 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official access information |
References
- Ogai Family Residence Middle Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011047
Last verified: 2026.10.23
