What Is the Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse?
The Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse (渡邉家住宅上手蔵, Watanabe-ke Jūtaku Kamitegura) is a 2-storey clay-walled storehouse at the back of the Watanabe Sake Brewery lot beside the Seto River in Ichinomachi, Furukawa-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture; built in 1872, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 November 2005. It covers 53 square meters.
It went up two years after the family started brewing in 1870. Kamite, rendered here as upper, means the upper or inner side of a place, and the name probably reflects where the storehouse sits on the lot, though we found no source that explains it.
Registration and Place in the Row
The Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse was registered as No. 21-0063 for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs counts it among the storehouses that shape the Furukawa streetscape.
Built just as the brewing business was getting under way, it fills the gap between the older Middle and Pickle storehouses and the Sake Brewery of 1881. The Watanabe row along the Seto River grew one building at a time in this way.
A Square Plan and a Stepped Roof
The Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse is square in plan, four bays by four. On the ground floor, the western half is a Doma earthen floor and the eastern half has a raised timber floor, an even split between space for moving goods in and out and space for keeping them.
A pair of Kannon-biraki double doors opens on the west side of the ground floor, and the east wall has windows in two tiers, one above the other. The walls are finished in Shikkui lime plaster.
The roof is what sets the Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse apart. Its sheet-metal Okiyane, a roof built separately and set over the plastered body, is laid in two sections at different heights. Of the Watanabe storehouses, this is the only one whose official description mentions a stepped roof, and from the riverside it gives the outline a distinct break.
Visiting the Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse
The Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse stands inside the brewery grounds and its interior is not open to the public. It can be seen from the lane along the Seto River; step back a little to read the shape of the stepped roof.
It is not clear if the brewery's bookable tour takes in the Upper Storehouse. As the lot is private property, enjoy the stepped roofline from the public lane.
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Q&A
- What is the Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse?
- A 2-storey clay-walled storehouse at the back of the Watanabe Sake Brewery lot on the Seto River. It is square in plan, four bays by four, and covers 53 square meters.
- When was the Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse built?
- In 1872, two years after the Watanabe family began brewing sake in 1870.
- When was the Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On 10 November 2005, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property No. 21-0063, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- What is special about the Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse?
- Its sheet-metal okiyane roof is stepped, laid in two sections at different heights. The ground floor is half earthen floor and half timber floor, with double doors to the west and two tiers of windows to the east.
- Can I go inside the Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse?
- No. The interior is closed, but the storehouse can be seen from the lane along the Seto River. Tour coverage of the Upper Storehouse is not published.
Basic Information
| Name | Watanabe Family Residence Upper Storehouse (渡邉家住宅上手蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7-3 Ichinomachi, Furukawa-cho, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 21-0063 |
| Year Designated | Registered 10 November 2005 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey clay-walled storehouse, sheet-metal roof, building area 53 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 Upper Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004970
- 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
