About the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse
The Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse (浅井銃砲火薬店土蔵, Asai Jūhō Kayakuten Dozō) is an early Showa storehouse built between 1926 and 1945 in Nishimachi, Funatsu, Kamioka-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014. It stands immediately north of the shop and main house and was registered on the same day as that building and the compound wall.
It is a Dozo-zukuri building, with thick earthen walls, rising 2 storeys above ground over 1 basement level. The gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof is clad in metal sheet. The storehouse measures 4.8 meters along the ridge and 9.1 meters across, for a footprint of 44 square meters. Its outer walls are finished in Shikkui lime plaster, and a window opens in the north wall of the upper floor.
Why the Storehouse Was Registered
The Asai storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a storehouse that completes the layout of a merchant compound. Set beside the shop front instead of out of sight at the back, it gives the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store a deeper, more substantial presence on the street.
The Council for Cultural Affairs made the same point in its recommendation of November 15, 2013, listing the storehouse to the north, together with the board fence to the southwest, as part of what lets the main house set off the streetscape. The judgment rested less on the storehouse alone than on shop, storehouse and fence working as a group.
A Storehouse Wrapped by a Lean-to
The detail that sets the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse apart is how it is enclosed. According to the Agency, an earth-floored Doma space runs around the storehouse, and that space is roofed by a Geya lean-to extended from the shop and main house. The storehouse does not stand free in a yard; it is tucked under the extended roof of the house beside it.
The arrangement lets someone walk from the house to the storehouse door without leaving cover. What the shop actually used the covered floor for is not recorded.
The basement is the other point of interest. Of the three registered parts of the Asai compound, the storehouse is the only one whose record lists a level below ground; the internal storehouse at the back of the main house is given as 2 storeys. What the basement held, and whether it had anything to do with a business selling guns and gunpowder, cannot be established from the sources consulted, so it is best treated simply as a 2-storey storehouse with a basement.
In plan the building is deeper than it is wide: 4.8 meters along the ridge against 9.1 meters across. Of its white plastered walls, only the north face of the upper floor has a window.
Seeing the Asai Storehouse
The Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse is not open to the public, and neither the interior nor the basement can be entered. The covered floor around it lies under the main house lean-to and is part of the private grounds.
Only the exterior that can be seen from the street is accessible. With the lower walls hidden under the lean-to, what you are likely to see is the plastered upper wall and the gabled roof above it. Please photograph from the public road and do not step onto the property.
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Q&A
- When was the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Showa era, 1926 to 1945, without giving a more precise year.
- Why is the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- Standing beside the shop and main house, it completes the layout of a merchant compound and contributes to the historic landscape. It was registered on April 25, 2014.
- How big is the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse?
- It measures 4.8 by 9.1 meters, with a footprint of 44 square meters, and has 2 storeys above ground and 1 basement level.
- What was the basement of the Asai storehouse used for?
- The Agency records only that the basement exists. Its use is not stated in any source found.
- Can I go inside the Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse?
- No. It is not open to the public, and the covered floor around it is private ground. The exterior can be seen from the public road.
Basic Information
| Name | Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1196 Nishimachi, Funatsu, Kamioka-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered April 25, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys and 1 basement level; footprint 44 square meters; 4.8 meters by 9.1 meters |
| Owner | Unknown (the Agency's owner field is blank) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the public road) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009956
- Cultural Heritage Online: Asai Gun and Gunpowder Store Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/275023
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council recommendation for Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, November 15, 2013 (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/bunkasingi_tousin_131115.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.03
