Yabashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse

The Storehouse That Faces the Main House

The Yabashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse (矢橋家住宅中蔵, Yabashi-ke Jūtaku Nakagura) is a fireproof storehouse of the Tenpō era (1830 to 1844) on the Yabashi estate beside the old Nakasendō highway in Akasaka, Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1997.

It is a timber building of 2 storeys with a tiled roof and a footprint of 52 square metres. The Agency for Cultural Affairs believes it was completed in the Tenpō era, like the Main House and the East Storehouse. The 3 storehouses share a timber, 2-storey, tile-roofed form but differ in size: the East Storehouse covers 29 square metres, the Middle Storehouse 52 square metres and the West Storehouse 61 square metres.

Of the 3 kura, the Yabashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse sits closest to the Main House, and its doorway turns toward it, an arrangement plainly planned around traffic to and from the living quarters.

A Gable-End Door and Upper-Floor Shutters

The Middle Storehouse was registered as a model of its type. According to the Agency its design is essentially the same as the other storehouses, with one difference: the doorway is set in the gable end on the north side, the side that faces the Main House.

An entrance in the gable end, the Tsumairi arrangement, uses the full depth of the building and lets someone walk straight from the Main House to the storehouse door. The East Storehouse opens on its west side and the West Storehouse on its east, so each of the 3 turns its door to suit a different route through the estate.

The other feature is on the upper floor, where some openings are fitted with doors. In an exterior otherwise closed and heavy, the Agency notes, these doors act as an accent.

Where the Middle Storehouse Stands

The Yabashi Family Residence Middle Storehouse is directly behind the Main House on the south side, and the Main House hides it from the old Nakasendō.

The gable-end door and upper-floor shutters are details seen from within the grounds. When you look at the Main House from the street, picture a storehouse standing right behind it with its door turned toward the living quarters; it helps you read how deep the property runs.

Visiting

The Middle Storehouse is not open to the public, and neither its interior nor its exterior can be viewed.

Please do not look through the gate or enter the grounds. There is no admission charge or booking system.