A Showa-Era Storehouse in Ōya Stone
The Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse (光恩寺石蔵, Kōon-ji Ishigura) is a two-storey storehouse of Ōya stone built around 1933 at Koonji Temple in Akaiwa, Chiyoda Town, Gunma Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 17, 1999. It has a tiled roof and a building area of 40 square meters, and it is the youngest of the four Koonji buildings registered that day.
It stands east of the guest hall, pressed against the guest hall's gable end. The ridge runs east to west and the entrance is on the long side, in the Hirairi manner. On the south face, a tiled lean-to roof about half a bay deep shelters a small forecourt in front of the doors, and two windows, each with its own little hood, open in the upper storey.
Ōya stone is a volcanic tuff quarried around Ōya, on the edge of Utsunomiya in neighboring Tochigi Prefecture. It is soft enough to cut easily and resists fire well, so it has long been used across the northern Kantō region for storehouses and walls. Its surface is flecked with brownish inclusions called miso, which give it a texture quite unlike timber or plaster, even from a distance.
Why It Was Registered
The Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse was registered as a model of architectural form, under registration number 10-0038. The Agency for Cultural Affairs counts it, with the priests' quarters and the guest hall, as one of the core elements of the temple's residential side. A late Edo farmhouse, a late Meiji reception room and, finally, an early Showa storehouse: with this building the sequence is complete.
Koonji Temple lost its buildings to fire twice, in 1830 and again in 1866. No record has been found explaining why the storehouse was built, but it is hard not to connect a fire-resistant stone store standing hard against a wooden reception room with the temple's history of burning.
In design terms, the lean-to over the doors and the hooded upper windows do the work. Adding tiled eaves to a block of stone gives a hard box something of the softer profile of timber architecture. That the Agency's description names precisely these two features suggests that is where it saw the building's character.
What to Look For
View the Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse from the south. The tiled lean-to over the ground floor and the pair of upper windows make up its face, each window's small hood casting a narrow shadow on the stone.
Then look at the stone itself. The brownish flecks in the Ōya stone and the lines of the joints become clearer the closer you get. When the light comes in at an angle, the surface texture stands out.
On the west side, the storehouse meets the east gable of the guest hall. A stone store and a timber reception room shoulder to shoulder is a pairing you will only see in this corner. It is the end point of a line that runs from the priests' quarters through the guest hall, three periods in a row.
Visiting the Storehouse
There is no indication that the interior of the Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse is open to visitors. The exterior can be seen from the grounds during opening hours. For further information, contact the temple in advance (0276-86-2157).
The temple publishes no rules on photography. The website does not say if visitors may stand where the south face can be seen straight on, so check with the temple which areas are open. Directions to the temple and its opening hours are on the Koonji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was the Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to around 1933. It is the newest of the four Koonji Temple buildings registered together in 1999.
- What is the Ōya stone used in the Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse?
- Ōya stone is a volcanic tuff quarried around Ōya in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. It is easy to cut and resists fire, so it has been widely used in the northern Kantō region for storehouses and walls. Its surface shows brownish flecks called miso.
- Can I go inside the Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse?
- There is no public opening of the interior. The exterior can be viewed from the grounds during the temple's opening hours. For more information, contact the temple in advance (0276-86-2157).
- Why is the Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on February 17, 1999, as a model of architectural form. The Agency for Cultural Affairs recognized it as an Ōya stone storehouse with a tiled lean-to over its doors and hooded upper windows, forming part of the temple's residential core with the priests' quarters and guest hall.
- Where is the best place to view the Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse?
- The south face, which is its front, shows the tiled lean-to and the two upper windows most clearly. On the west side it meets the east gable of the timber guest hall, a pairing worth seeing too.
Basic Information
| Name | Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1041 Akaiwa-ko, Chiyoda-machi, Oura-gun, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1999/2/17 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 40 square meters |
| Owner | Koonji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds; interior not open |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001039
- Cultural Heritage Online: Koonji Temple Stone Storehouse
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/192039
- Akaiwa-san Koonji Temple official website: history
- https://www.akaiwasan-kouonji.or.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
