Where the Silk Came In
The Goto Textile Warehouse (後藤織物倉庫, Gotō Orimono Sōko) is a single-storey timber store built around 1925 in Higashi 1-chome, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, to hold silk thread, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 27, 2006. It stands on the right as you come through the Front Gate, southeast of the Main House, with its ridge running north to south and a building area of 20 square metres.
It measures 4 by 2 Ken under a gabled roof of pantiles. The door is at the north end of the west wall, and a lean-to (Geya) runs along the east side. The national record counts the Goto Textile Warehouse among the principal buildings of the mill.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to around 1925; Kiryu City says no later than 1925. The 1925 house plan in the Main House already shows the warehouse to the right of the gate, exactly as it stands, so it was built by that year at the latest.
Why It Was Registered
The warehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape of the nation. A weaving house begins its work by buying yarn, and this is where the raw silk was received and kept until it went to the looms.
Its position is deliberate. Just inside the gate and close to the Main House office, it let incoming thread be carried straight in and kept under the eye of the counting room. The West Storehouse with its pattern cards and the East Storehouse with its household goods stand far back behind the factory; what was stored where follows its distance from the gate.
This small building has changed jobs more than once. Kiryu City reports that a garage was later added on the east, that the roof was re-covered in sheet iron as an emergency repair after the 2011 earthquake, and that in 2015 it was refitted as an exhibition space for the Japan Heritage programme. From silk store to visitor gallery, the smallest building on the site has absorbed the mill's changes.
What to Look For
Once through the gate, stop and look right. At 20 square metres the gabled Goto Textile Warehouse is modest beside the Main House, but its place nearest the entrance reflects the value of the thread it held.
The door faces west, into the yard, rather than toward the street. Goods went in and out from inside the compound. Read the east lean-to together with the later garage and you can see changes of use layered onto the exterior.
Look at the roof, too. The registration record describes pantiles; Kiryu City notes the switch to sheet iron after the 2011 earthquake. Repairs made since registration are part of the building's story.
Visiting
Kiryu City also calls this building the exhibition room, since it was refitted as a Japan Heritage display space. When you reserve a tour, ask whether the exhibition will be open, and check on photography at the same time.
Directions, booking and opening details for the whole mill are on the Goto Textile Mill page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Goto Textile Warehouse
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- What was the Goto Textile Warehouse used for?
- It was built to store silk thread. The national record counts it among the main buildings of the mill.
- When was the Goto Textile Warehouse built?
- Around 1925 according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and no later than 1925 according to Kiryu City. It already appears on the 1925 house plan.
- How is the Goto Textile Warehouse used today?
- It was refitted in 2015 as an exhibition space for the Japan Heritage programme, and Kiryu City refers to it as the exhibition room.
- Why does the Goto Textile Warehouse have a metal roof?
- It was pantiled when registered, but after the 2011 earthquake the roof was re-covered in sheet iron as an emergency repair.
- Where is the Goto Textile Warehouse on the site?
- Immediately to the right as you enter the Front Gate, southeast of the Main House, with its ridge running north to south and its door at the north end of the west wall.
Basic Information
| Name | Goto Textile Warehouse (後藤織物倉庫) |
|---|---|
| Location | 730 Higashi 1-chome, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 10-0167 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/3/27 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 20 square metres |
| Owner | Texte Kiryu Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Open by advance reservation (weekdays) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: 後藤織物倉庫 (Goto Textile Warehouse)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005418
- Goto Orimono (Kiryu City official website, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1007533.html
- Goto Orimono: Factory, Former Kettle House, Storage Shed, Exhibition Room, East and West Storehouses (Kiryu City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/007/533/02-gotopdf.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.24
