The Storehouse behind a Magome Townhouse
The Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse (清水屋原家住宅土蔵) is a storehouse of fireproof earthen construction of the late Meiji era (1898 to 1912) in Magome, Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a 2-storey storehouse of earthen construction with a tiled roof and a building area of 30 square metres; registration number 21-0206.
A Storehouse on the Inner Courtyard
The Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse is joined to the back of the main house and stands with its ridge running north to south, facing an inner courtyard (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It measures 5.5 metres by 4.5 metres.
The roof is gabled and laid with pantiles, and a lean-to roof (Geya) shelters the doorway on the east side (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, calling it a carefully made storehouse. Built in the late Meiji era like the main house, it shows how a large post-town house extended back to a storehouse behind.
Plaster above, Boards below
The walls are coated in lime plaster, and the lower part is clad in clapboard held by notched battens, a technique called sasara-ko shitami (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The overlapping boards protect the base of the walls from rain and splashing mud.
The doorway is closed by a pair of heavy plastered doors (Tsuchido) hung to open outward, and a small window is cut into the west wall of the upper floor (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
What to Look For
Look for the contrast between the white plaster above and the battened clapboard below, and for the pair of plastered doors on the east doorway (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
At 30 square metres it is small next to the 182 square metres of the main house, yet the boarded base and the sheltered doorway are finished with the same care that led the Agency to praise it.
Visiting
Because the Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse stands behind the main house on an inner courtyard, it is hard to see from the highway. No official information on visiting the storehouse itself was found as of October 2026.
The upper floor of the main house is open as the Shimizuya Museum, but the official information does not say whether the storehouse is included; ask at the museum when you visit.
Q&A
- When was the Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse built?
- In the late Meiji era, between 1898 and 1912 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How big is the Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse?
- It is a 2-storey earthen storehouse of 5.5 metres by 4.5 metres, with a building area of 30 square metres.
- What should I look for at the Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse?
- The plastered walls, the battened clapboard at the base and the pair of plastered doors on the east side.
- Can I visit the Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse?
- No official information on visiting the storehouse was found. It stands behind the main house on an inner courtyard and is hard to see from the street.
- When was the Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse registered?
- On March 29, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse (清水屋原家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4284 Magome, Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/03/29 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, 30 m² (5.5 m by 4.5 m) |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No public opening announced |
References
- Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009457
- Shimizuya Hara Family Residence Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/277990
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures) (Gifu Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/kyoiku/bunka/bunkazai/17768/index_61057.html
Last verified: 2026.10.28
