About the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse
The Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse (添田家住宅文庫蔵, Soeda-ke Jūtaku Bunkogura) is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse built in the late Meiji era (1868 to 1912) southeast of the main house on the Soeda family estate in Hanukita, Kitayama, Ishikawa Town, Fukushima Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2011.
A bunkogura is the storehouse a household kept for its papers, account books, books and smaller valuables. With a building area of 26 m², the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse is the smallest of the four buildings on the estate. The soy sauce storehouse stands parallel to it on the south.
A Black Band Under the Eaves
The walls of the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse are finished in lime plaster, with a skirting of Namako-kabe: flat tiles set into the wall with their joints built up in raised ridges of plaster, which keeps rain splash off the earthen wall behind.
Look up to the top of the wall. The thick band of plaster that wraps the wall head just under the eaves, the Hachimaki, is finished here in black. One dark stripe along the top and the tiled skirting along the bottom frame the white wall between them. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the result as compact and weighty.
A West Door and a Separate Roof
The Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse runs east to west and measures 6.4 m by 3.6 m. Its gabled roof of interlocking pantiles is an Okiyane, built as a separate structure resting on top of the clay body, a design said to let the roof burn and fall in a fire while the walls protect the contents.
The door is on the west face. A lean-to eave shelters it, and the side walls of the storehouse are carried forward on either side, so that the doorway sits in a small roofed porch out of the rain.
Seeing the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse
The Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse is not open to the public and its interior cannot be visited. As of October 2026 no tours or openings had been announced.
The storehouse stands southeast of the main house, just north of the soy sauce storehouse. If you catch sight of it, the black band under the eaves and the tiled skirting are the features to pick out. Please do not enter the grounds. Directions to the estate are on the Soeda Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse built?
- In the late Meiji era (1868 to 1912). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2011.
- How big is the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse?
- It is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse of 6.4 m by 3.6 m, with a building area of 26 m², the smallest building on the estate.
- What does the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse look like?
- White lime-plaster walls with a namako-kabe tiled skirting and a black plaster band under the eaves, beneath a separate gabled roof of pantiles.
- Where is the entrance of the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse?
- On the west face, under a lean-to eave enclosed by side walls carried forward from the main body.
- Can I visit the Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse?
- No. The interior is not open and no tours are announced, so please stay off the property.
Basic Information
| Name | Soeda Family Residence Document Storehouse (添田家住宅文庫蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 67 Hanukita, Kitayama, Ishikawa Town, Ishikawa County, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2011 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 6.4 m × 3.6 m; building area 26 m² |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no openings announced) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 添田家住宅文庫蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008618
- Cultural Heritage Online: 添田家住宅文庫蔵
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/239349
- Ishikawa Town: List of Cultural Properties
- https://www.town.ishikawa.fukushima.jp/admin/hall/02/01/01/09.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
