A Storehouse Raised Against the Floods
The Shomura Family Residence West Storehouse (庄村家住宅西土蔵) is a merchant family's storehouse of about the late Meiji era in Shimadani, Hachiman-cho, Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 28, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 27 square metres; registration number 21-0048.
Rice and Household Goods
The Shomura Family Residence West Storehouse held rice and everyday household goods (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a gabled, 2-storey building standing beside the east storehouse, the two sharing one continuous roof.
The Yoshida River flows just north of the plot, and the storehouse was set on a high base of rounded cobblestones as a guard against its floods (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The walls are plastered, with clapboard cladding on the lower part.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency points to its openings, framed with raised borders and topped with lintels shaped like rainbow beams and carved with scroll patterns, and registered it as difficult to reproduce.
What to Look For
Look closely at the openings. Their plaster surrounds form raised borders, and the lintel above each is shaped like a koryo, the curved rainbow beam of Japanese carpentry, carved with scroll patterns (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Lower down, the clapboard skirt and the high cobble base are the house's defence against the river.
Visiting
The west storehouse stands behind the main house, on the river side of the plot. No official information on access was found; please do not enter the property.
Q&A
- What was the Shomura Family Residence West Storehouse used for?
- Storing rice and everyday household goods (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Why does the Shomura Family Residence West Storehouse stand on such a high base?
- To guard against floods from the Yoshida River, which flows north of the plot.
- What should I look for on the west storehouse?
- The bordered openings with rainbow-beam lintels carved with scroll patterns.
- Can I visit the west storehouse?
- No official information on access was found.
- When was the Shomura Family Residence West Storehouse registered?
- On August 28, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shomura Family Residence West Storehouse (庄村家住宅西土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1145 Shimadani, Hachiman-cho, Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2001/08/28 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, 27 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on public access (exterior from the street) |
References
- Shomura Family Residence West Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002253
Last verified: 2026.10.20
