What Is the Suzuzen Nizukurigura?
The Suzuzen Nizukurigura (鈴善荷造り蔵, packing storehouse) is an early Showa-period (1926 to 1945) single-story earthen storehouse once used for packing merchandise, standing on the street at the northeast 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 under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, the Suzuzen Nizukurigura covers 49 square meters. It is the only single-story storehouse among the registered Suzuzen buildings, and the only one whose ridge runs east to west, parallel to the street, while the others run north to south.
A Storehouse for Shipping
The Suzuzen Nizukurigura was where goods were packed. A wholesaler's work was to send lacquerware out to customers, and the company's history records exports overseas, trade with department stores and branch offices in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Sapporo between the Meiji era and the early Showa years. Wrapping and crating stock for those journeys was central to the business.
Setting the packing room on the street corner put it where loads could leave the premises most easily. Inside there is a single undivided room under a Western-style Truss roof, a column-free floor well suited to laying out and packing goods.
Namako Walls and a Street-Side Stone Finish
The walls are Shikkui plaster carried up over the eaves in a Hachimaki band. The lower wall is Namako-kabe, flat tiles set in a grid with the joints built up in rounded ridges of plaster.
On the street side alone, the base switches to washed artificial stone scored into stone-like courses, the same finish as the Suzuzen Store next door. Traditional namako work faces the yard; the more up-to-date stone effect faces the passer-by.
The roof is laid with locally made red tiles. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Suzuzen Nizukurigura as part of the historic townscape of the former castle town.
Visiting the Suzuzen Nizukurigura
Since the Suzuzen Nizukurigura fronts the street, the stone-effect base and the red roof can be seen from the road. From a spot toward its western end you can compare the street-side finish with the namako wall on the yard side.
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 Nizukurigura 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 Nizukurigura (Packing Storehouse)
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Suzuzen Nizukurigura built?
- It dates from the early Showa period (1926 to 1945) and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2021.
- What was the Suzuzen Nizukurigura used for?
- Packing merchandise. It was the wholesaler's workroom for wrapping and crating lacquerware to send to customers.
- What is special about the walls of the Suzuzen Nizukurigura?
- The lower walls are namako tile work, except on the street side, where they are finished in washed artificial stone scored to look like cut stone.
- How is the Suzuzen Nizukurigura different from the other Suzuzen storehouses?
- It is the only single-story one and the only one with its ridge running east to west, parallel to the street.
- Can visitors see the Suzuzen Nizukurigura?
- Its exterior is visible from the street. The official website does not say whether the interior can be entered.
Basic Information
| Name | Suzuzen Nizukurigura (Packing Storehouse) (鈴善荷造り蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 49 m² |
| Owner | Not listed (the owner field in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database is blank) |
| Public Access | Exterior 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 Nizukurigura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013929
- Cultural Heritage Online: Suzuzen Nizukurigura
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/598199
- Aizu-nuri Densho-kan Suzuzen: History
- https://suzuzen.com/pride/
- Aizu-nuri Densho-kan Suzuzen: Facilities
- https://suzuzen.com/facility/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
