What Is the Suzuzen Monookigura?
The Suzuzen Monookigura (鈴善物置蔵, utility storehouse) is a late Edo-period (1830 to 1868) two-story earthen storehouse, originally used to display merchandise, that was moved around 1938 to the east edge 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 Monookigura runs north to south under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles and covers 55 square meters. As a building, it is the oldest of the seven registered at Suzuzen.
An Edo Storehouse Brought to the Site
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the Suzuzen Monookigura to the late Edo period and notes that it was relocated around 1938. A storehouse put up in the last decades of the shogunate was taken down or shifted whole and set up again on this lot. Where it originally stood, and how it was moved, is not recorded in published sources.
The Agency places the Suzuzen Monookigura in the expansion of the premises and treats it as evidence of the business's prosperity in the early Showa period. Rather than building new, Suzuzen grew its site at this point by bringing in an older storehouse.
A Storehouse for Showing Goods
The building began as a display storehouse for merchandise. A lacquerware wholesaler would set out stock here, and buyers who came to place orders could most likely see and handle the pieces before choosing. Its present name means utility storehouse, but its history belongs to the business side of the house.
Each floor is a single room. On the west side a Geya, a lean-to roof projecting from the main body, shelters the doorway from rain and snow.
A Mortar Base Made to Look Like Stone
The walls are Shikkui plaster carried up over the eaves in a Hachimaki band. The lower wall is rendered in mortar with joints scored to imitate stone cladding.
So an Edo-period storehouse wears a cement-based, stone-effect base. Like the washed artificial stone of the shop and the base of the Nizukurigura, it repeats a stone-look finish that runs through the Suzuzen buildings. Whether the mortar was added when the storehouse was moved is not known.
Visiting the Suzuzen Monookigura
The Suzuzen Monookigura stands at the east edge of the site. Its west side, with the lean-to and doorway, faces into the premises, and whether it can be seen from the street could not be confirmed.
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 Monookigura or whether it can be entered (checked October 2026). Opening times and directions are on the Suzuzen page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Suzuzen Monookigura (Utility Storehouse)
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Q&A
- When was the Suzuzen Monookigura built?
- It dates from the late Edo period (1830 to 1868) and was moved to its present site around 1938. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
- Is the Suzuzen Monookigura the oldest building at Suzuzen?
- Yes. Of the seven registered Suzuzen buildings, the Suzuzen Monookigura has the earliest date as a structure.
- What was the Suzuzen Monookigura originally used for?
- It was a display storehouse where the wholesaler set out merchandise.
- What should I look for on the outside of the Suzuzen Monookigura?
- White plaster carried up to the eaves, a mortar base scored to look like stone, and a lean-to roof over the doorway on the west side.
- Can visitors see the Suzuzen Monookigura?
- The premises are open as a museum, but the official website does not say whether this storehouse can be entered.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuzen Monookigura (Utility Storehouse) (鈴善物置蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 | 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 Monookigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013928
- Cultural Heritage Online: Suzuzen Monookigura
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/542968
- Aizu-nuri Densho-kan Suzuzen: Facilities
- https://suzuzen.com/facility/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
