What Is the Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse?
The Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse (渡邉家住宅漬物蔵, Watanabe-ke Jūtaku Tsukemonogura) is a 2-storey clay-walled storehouse at the southern end of the Watanabe Sake Brewery lot beside the Seto River in Ichinomachi, Furukawa-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture; built in 1864, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 November 2005. At 39 square meters it is the smallest of the six registered Watanabe buildings.
It dates from 1864, in the last years of the Edo period and six years before the family took up brewing. The name means pickle storehouse, but the sources we checked do not say when the building began to be used for them.
The Southern End of the Storehouse Row
The Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse was registered as No. 21-0062 for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs counts it among the storehouses that give Furukawa its streetscape.
According to the agency, the Watanabe storehouses stand in a single row along the Seto River, with the Sake Brewery at the north end and the Pickle Storehouse at the south. The smallest building and the largest one bracket the line between them.
A King-Beam Roof Frame and Boarded Skirt
The Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse has a pair of Kannon-biraki double doors on the ground floor of the west wall and windows in the east wall. The roof frame is built around an Ushibari, a heavy beam laid along the length of the building, with Nobori-bari rafter beams sloping up onto it. Over this sits an Okiyane roof clad in sheet metal.
The walls are finished in Shikkui lime plaster, except for the lower part of the east wall, which is covered in Shitami-itabari: overlapping horizontal boards held in place by vertical battens. The base of a wall takes the worst of rain splash and piled-up snow, and plaster there wears quickly, so boards take the punishment instead.
Among the Watanabe storehouses, the Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse is the only one whose official description mentions this boarded skirt. Look for the band of timber beneath the white plaster to pick it out.
Visiting the Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse
The Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse is on brewery property and its interior is not open to the public. Walk the lane along the Seto River and look for the southern end of the storehouse row.
The brewery's published tour details do not mention this storehouse. Keep to the lane; the boarded skirt and doors are part of a private property.
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Q&A
- What is the Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse?
- A 2-storey clay-walled storehouse at the southern end of the Watanabe Sake Brewery lot on the Seto River. At 39 square meters, it is the smallest of the six registered Watanabe buildings.
- When was the Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse built?
- In 1864, six years before the Watanabe family began brewing sake in 1870.
- When was the Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On 10 November 2005, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 21-0062, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- What are the features of the Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse?
- The batten-fixed boarding over the lower east wall, the roof frame of sloping beams resting on a heavy lengthwise beam, and the sheet-metal okiyane roof. The west side has double storehouse doors.
- Can I go inside the Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse?
- No. The interior is closed, but the exterior can be seen from the lane along the Seto River. Its inclusion in the brewery tour is not confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse (渡邉家住宅漬物蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7-3 Ichinomachi, Furukawa-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 21-0062 |
| Year Designated | Registered 10 November 2005 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey clay-walled storehouse, sheet-metal roof, building area 39 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the national database |
| Public Access | Interior closed (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Watanabe Family Residence Pickle Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004969
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures) (Gifu Prefecture, in Japanese)
- https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/page/12417.html
- History of Watanabe Sake Brewery (Watanabe Sake Brewery, in Japanese)
- https://www.sake-hourai.co.jp/watanabe/history/
- Seto River and the White-Walled Storehouses (Hida City Official Tourism Site, in Japanese)
- https://www.hida-kankou.jp/spot/278
Last verified: 2026.09.28
