What Is the Suzuzen Chozogura?
The Suzuzen Chozogura (鈴善貯蔵蔵, storage storehouse) is a two-story earthen storehouse built in 1919 for household goods, standing east of the garden in the southwest corner of the premises of the Suzuzen lacquerware wholesaler in Chuo 1-chome, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
Built in Dozo-zukuri style, the Suzuzen Chozogura runs north to south under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles and covers 55 square meters. Among the seven registered Suzuzen buildings, it is the earliest whose year of construction is recorded.
A Storehouse for the Family's Belongings
The Suzuzen Chozogura was built to hold household goods. It was not a store for merchandise but a safe place for the Suzuki family's furnishings and everyday possessions, which explains its position at the back of the lot beside the southwest garden.
Each floor is a single undivided room. Two doorways open on the west side, and each is fitted with a Tomae, the heavy plastered door assembly that seals a storehouse entrance. Two such doorways for a one-room storehouse is a detail the Agency for Cultural Affairs records for this building alone among the Suzuzen storehouses.
A Truss Inside an Earthen Storehouse
The roof of the Suzuzen Chozogura is carried on a Truss, a Western framing system built up from triangles. The Agency's published photograph shows this Yōgoya framing on the upper floor. From outside you see a traditional storehouse; overhead, the structure is modern.
The Komesumigura and the Nizukurigura at Suzuzen are also framed with trusses, and at 1919 the Suzuzen Chozogura is the earliest of the three.
The walls are Shikkui plaster carried up over the eaves in a Hachimaki band, and the roof is laid with locally made red tiles. The Agency describes the building as part of the layout of one of the castle town's leading merchant houses.
Visiting the Suzuzen Chozogura
The Suzuzen Chozogura stands at the back of the site, east of the southwest garden, and cannot be seen from the street. Its west side, with the two sealed doorways, faces the garden.
The premises are open as the Aizu-nuri Densho-kan Suzuzen, but the website names its spaces by function and does not say which of them occupies the Suzuzen Chozogura or whether the interior and its truss can be seen (checked October 2026). Opening times and directions are on the Suzuzen page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Suzuzen Chozogura (Storage Storehouse)
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Suzuzen Chozogura built?
- It was built in 1919 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
- What was the Suzuzen Chozogura originally used for?
- It stored household goods, the Suzuki family's furnishings and possessions rather than merchandise.
- What is unusual about the roof structure of the Suzuzen Chozogura?
- The roof rests on a Western-style truss, hidden inside what looks from outside like a traditional earthen storehouse.
- How do you enter the Suzuzen Chozogura?
- Two doorways with heavy plastered tomae doors open on the west side. Inside, each floor is a single room.
- Can visitors see the Suzuzen Chozogura?
- It is not visible from the street. The premises are open as a museum, but the official website does not say whether this storehouse can be entered.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuzen Chozogura (Storage Storehouse) (鈴善貯蔵蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 138 Chuo 1-chome and other lots, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 55 m² |
| Owner | Not listed (the owner field in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database is blank) |
| Public Access | Not visible from the street; the premises are open as the Aizu-nuri Densho-kan Suzuzen (access to this building unconfirmed) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Suzuzen Chozogura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013926
- Cultural Heritage Online: Suzuzen Chozogura
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/583416
- Aizu-nuri Densho-kan Suzuzen: Facilities
- https://suzuzen.com/facility/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
