About the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse
The Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse (上野家住宅煉瓦蔵, Ueno-ke Jūtaku Rengagura) is a 2-story brick storehouse built in the late Meiji era (1898 to 1911) in Matsuyama-machi Muramatsu, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010. It was renovated in 2001.
It stands west of the Former Grain Storehouse on a north-south axis, measuring 13 by 5.7 meters with a building area of 77 square meters. The gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) is laid with pantiles, and only the eaves are sealed in white lime plaster. The chain of storehouses that runs west from behind the main house ends here.
Why the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse Was Registered
The Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it brings variety to an estate otherwise lined with plastered earthen storehouses.
According to Kitakata City, kilns built at Mitsuya in Iwatsuki-machi from the mid-Meiji era began to fire brick and roof tile locally, and the bricks are known for a reddish glaze. Brick storehouses, walls and chimneys followed. The Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse belongs to that period, although no record we found says where its bricks were made.
English Bond and Glazed Brick
The walls of the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse are laid in English bond. Around the base and the openings the builders used glazed brick, fired with a glaze that gives the surface a sheen.
Windows and doorways are topped with segmental arches, shallow curves cut from a larger circle.
The roof is carried on a Truss, a Western way of framing that differs from the traditional timber roof frames in the neighboring earthen storehouses. Brick walls, plastered eaves and a tiled roof sit together in one building, a good picture of how Japanese and imported techniques mixed in late Meiji Kitakata.
Visiting the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse
The Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse is at the far west end of the storehouse chain, deep inside the grounds, and does not face the street.
The estate is a private home with no announced public opening. If you want to see the glazed brick and English bond up close from public ground, the estate's brick wall runs along the street. Layout and directions are on the Ueno Family Residence (Kitakata) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse built?
- In the late Meiji era, between 1898 and 1911, and it was renovated in 2001. It was registered on September 10, 2010.
- How is the brick of the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse laid?
- In English bond, with glazed brick used around the base and the window and door openings.
- What shape are the windows of the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse?
- They are topped with segmental arches, shallow curved arches.
- How big is the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse?
- It is a 2-story brick building measuring 13 by 5.7 meters, with a building area of 77 square meters.
- Can I see the Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse?
- It stands deep inside the grounds of a private home and no public opening has been announced. Similar glazed brickwork can be seen in the estate's wall along the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 2740-1 Aza Tokiwacho, Matsuyama-machi Muramatsu, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick, 2-story, tiled roof, building area 77 m² |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (private residence) |
References
- Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008251
- Ueno Family Residence Brick Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/212813
- Ueno Family Residence Former Grain Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008250
- Ueno Family Residence Brick Wall (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008254
- Overview of Kitakata's historic and cultural resources (Kitakata City, PDF)
- https://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/uploaded/attachment/43016.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
