What is the Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse?
The Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse (町田家住宅外蔵, Machida-ke Jūtaku Sotogura) is an early Meiji-era white-plastered storehouse at the back of the Machida family estate in Nakanojo, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2001.
It is a two-story Dozo-zukuri storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 60 square meters, measuring 6 ken by 3 ken, exactly twice the floor area of the miso storehouse to its southwest. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the early Meiji era, which began in 1868.
Why the outer storehouse was registered
The Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 28, 2001, under number 10-0082, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
The Agency called the neighboring miso storehouse plain. Its note on the outer storehouse says the opposite: this one stands out for careful, well-finished work. Two storehouses built on the same estate in the same early Meiji years, one simple and one elaborately finished, make a telling pair, and registration keeps both as parts of the whole estate.
What to look for at the Machida outer storehouse
Two bands around the walls
The white walls of the Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse are ringed by two horizontal bands, one at the height of the lower wall and one at the level of the second-floor window sills. The Agency describes them as bands in the manner of a dōjabara, a plasterer's technique in which a stepped molding is built out partway up a wall. The two lines divide the plain white surface into tiers and give the storehouse a measured, orderly look.
The eave cornice and its "eyebrow"
Under the eaves runs a Nokijabara, a cornice built up in many layers of plaster to form stepped ridges. According to the Agency, this cornice also carries a mayu, or "eyebrow". The term generally refers to a slim projecting molding of plaster that sheds rainwater and casts a line of shadow across the wall. Bands, cornice and eyebrow together show plasterwork carried from the top of the wall to the bottom.
A separate roof and a west-facing work porch
The roof is a gabled Okiyane, a separate roof frame set over the clay body, with its ridge running east to west. On the west gable end a canopy projects to shelter the work area at the door, the kuramae. The miso storehouse puts its lean-to on the north end instead, so the two storehouses open in different directions.
Visiting the Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse
The Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse stands deep inside a private estate, northeast of the miso storehouse, and we found no notice of public access (checked October 2, 2026). With the grounds closed, there is no chance to see the bands and cornice up close, and we have not confirmed how much of the storehouse is visible from the road.
If you look from the surrounding streets, please do not peer into the property or photograph over the fence. Directions from Nakanojo Station are on the Machida Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- What kind of building is the Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse?
- A two-story white-plastered earthen storehouse with a tiled roof, a building area of 60 square meters and a footprint of 6 ken by 3 ken, dating from the early Meiji era.
- How does the Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse differ from the miso storehouse?
- The miso storehouse is a plain building of 30 square meters with board-clad lower walls. The outer storehouse is twice that size at 60 square meters, with banded walls and a plaster cornice. The miso storehouse opens to the north, the outer storehouse to the west.
- What are the bands on the walls of the Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse?
- Two horizontal plaster bands, at the lower wall and at the second-floor window sills, made in imitation of a dōjabara, a stepped molding built out partway up a wall.
- When was the Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse registered?
- On August 28, 2001, the same day as the other four registered structures of the Machida estate, under number 10-0082.
- Can visitors see the Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse?
- It stands deep inside a private estate and no public access has been announced. The grounds are closed to visitors.
Basic Information
| Name | Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 982 Nakanojo, Nakanojo-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2001 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-story earthen storehouse, building area 60 square meters (6 ken by 3 ken) |
| Owner | Private (owner not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (inside the grounds) |
References
- Machida Family Residence Outer Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002217
- Machida Family Residence Miso Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002216
Last verified: 2026.10.01
