A Yarn Store with a Well
The Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Warehouse No. 1 (小林家住宅（旧小武織物有限会社）倉庫一) is a concrete-block storehouse built in 1961 in Hirosawa-cho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on October 7, 2014. It held the yarn for Kotake Textile's looms and, through a well built into it, supplied water for both the factory and the household.
The single-storey building has a building area of 21 square metres, a tiled gable roof, and mortar-rendered walls inside and out. It stands on the stone wall that runs west from the gate near the east end of the south side, facing Warehouse No. 2 across the entrance.
A lean-to pent roof, or Geya, on the west side shelters a well and a washing sink. The main room kept the yarn dry; the lean-to handled the water. One small building did two jobs.
Why It Was Registered
Warehouse No. 1 of the Kobayashi Family Residence was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the building used to store yarn and to secure water for the mill and the home.
Yarn is a weaver's raw material and has to be kept clean and dry. Here it was given its own fire-resistant block building, apart from the factory. Warehouse No. 2, built the following year across the gate, held the punched pattern cards. Between them, the two buildings flanking the entrance stored the raw material and the designs that every length of cloth depended on.
The well and sink under one lean-to are telling as well. Water for the looms and water for the kitchen came from the same source, which says a good deal about how closely work and family life overlapped at the Kobayashi Family Residence.
What to Look For
The roof is carried on a truss, a Western-style frame of members arranged in triangles. Warehouse No. 2 across the way uses traditional Japanese Wagoya framing instead, so two storehouses of similar size, built a year apart, ended up with different structures.
From outside, the giveaway is the lean-to on the west side: a lower roof tucked against the main gable, with the well and sink beneath it. None of the other five registered structures has anything like it.
The building sits on the cobble wall that runs west from the gate. Compare the smooth mortar render of the walls with the rounded stones below.
Visiting
The Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Warehouse No. 1 is privately owned and its interior is not open to the public. No open days or tours could be found as of September 2026.
Because it stands on the wall just west of the gate, it is one of the easier structures to see from outside the property. The area inside the gate is private land, so stay outside. Photograph only from outside and avoid pointing a camera at residents or into the grounds for long. Directions to the property are on the Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) page.
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Q&A
- What was the Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Warehouse No. 1 used for?
- It stored yarn for the looms and, through a well and sink under its west lean-to, supplied water for the factory and the household.
- When was the Kobayashi Family Residence Warehouse No. 1 built?
- The national database gives 1961. Warehouse No. 2, facing it across the gate, followed in 1962.
- How does Warehouse No. 1 differ from Warehouse No. 2 at the Kobayashi Family Residence?
- Warehouse No. 1 held yarn, has a well and sink, and uses a truss roof. Warehouse No. 2 held pattern cards and uses traditional wagoya framing. Both are concrete-block buildings with tiled gable roofs.
- Can I go inside the Kobayashi Family Residence Warehouse No. 1?
- No. It is privately owned, and as of September 2026 no public openings or tours had been announced. It stands just west of the gate, so the exterior can be seen from outside the property.
- When was the Kobayashi Family Residence Warehouse No. 1 registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 7, 2014, as number 10-0315.
Basic Information
| Name | Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Warehouse No. 1 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1111-9 Fukushima, Hirosawa-cho 5, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/10/7 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 21 square metres (concrete block, single storey, tiled roof) |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior from outside the property) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kobayashi Family Residence (Former Kotake Textile Co., Ltd.) Warehouse No. 1 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010106
- Kiryu City: Kobayashi Family Residence (6 properties) (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1011321.html
- Kiryu Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Former Kotake Textile (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.kiryucci.or.jp/FT/2013fukei/2013fukei-kotake.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.24
