About the Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse
The Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse (若菜家住宅煉瓦味噌蔵, Wakana-ke Jūtaku Renga Misogura) is a one-story brick storehouse for making and keeping miso, built in 1921 at the Wakana Family Residence in Iwatsuki-machi, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2010.
It lines the south edge of the plot with its ridge running east to west, and measures 8.6 by 3.0 meters, a building area of 26 square meters. It is the newest and the smallest of the four Wakana storehouses, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles it out for its careful finish.
Stretcher Bond and Plastered Eaves
The miso storehouse has a gabled roof of interlocking tiles over walls laid in Stretcher bond on a cut-stone base. In stretcher bond every brick shows its long face, each course shifted by half a brick. The zashiki and three-story storehouses on the same plot use English bond, with courses of brick ends in between, so side by side the miso storehouse wall looks plainer and more horizontal.
Pilasters are built at the corners and elsewhere, and the eaves are finished in lime plaster. That band of plaster along the top of the brick tightens the outline of the long, low building.
One Room for Charcoal, One for Miso
Inside, the Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse is divided into an east room and a west room, each with its own arched doorway trimmed with roof tiles. The pair of doorways on the outside follows directly from that two-room plan.
According to local tourism information, the room behind the right-hand door was a store for charcoal, the household fuel, while the room on the left is still used by the family to make miso. More than a century on, the building is doing the job its name describes.
Visiting the Brick Miso Storehouse
The Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse can be seen from outside on a visit to the Wakana storehouses (200 yen for adults, free for students). It is a working storehouse, and no interior opening was found in the information checked.
The two arched doorways and their tile trim are easy to compare from outside. A local information site recommends the shot with this miso storehouse on the left and the three-story storehouse straight ahead. No photography policy is published, so check when you arrive.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse built?
- It was built in 1921, the newest of the four Wakana brick storehouses, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2010.
- How big is the Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse?
- It is a one-story brick building measuring 8.6 by 3.0 meters, with a building area of 26 square meters.
- Is the Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse still in use?
- According to local tourism information, the left-hand room is still used to make miso. The right-hand room once stored charcoal for fuel.
- Can you go inside the Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse?
- No interior opening is advertised. It can be seen from outside on a visit to the Wakana storehouses (200 yen for adults, free for students), where the two arched, tile-trimmed doorways are the thing to look for.
- Why is the Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs praises its careful finish: stretcher-bond walls, plastered eaves and tile-trimmed arched doorways.
Basic Information
| Name | Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 3819 Katsukosaku, Miyazu, Iwatsuki-machi, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered September 10, 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 8.6 meters by 3.0 meters, building area 26 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable only (adults 200 yen, students free) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008258
- Cultural Heritage Online: Wakana Family Residence Brick Miso Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/217640
- List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures) in Fukushima Prefecture (Fukushima Prefecture, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/748318.pdf
- Gurutto Aizu: Mitsuya Brick Storehouses (Wakana Family) (Japanese)
- https://www.gurutto-aizu.com/detail/526/index.html
- Fukulabo: Mitsuya Brick Storehouses (Wakana Family) (Japanese)
- https://www.fukulabo.net/shop/shop.shtml?s=9696
Last verified: 2026.10.04
