What is the Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse?
The Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse (森島家住宅東蔵, Morishima-ke Jūtaku Higashigura) is a storehouse in Higashi 4-chome, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, built around 1924 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 3, 2006. It is a two-story timber building with a gabled roof of Sangawara-buki tiles and a building area of 21 square meters.
It stands on the north side of the main house of the Morishima family, who run the omeshi silk weaver Morihide Textiles, and it was used to store finished bolts of cloth. The owner is Morihide Textiles Co., Ltd. What sets the Morishima East Storehouse apart is that its forecourt, the Kuramae, is built into the main house, so the store is reached from inside the home. This arrangement is known as an uchigura, or inner storehouse.
A storehouse that opens into the house
In many Japanese homes the kura stands on its own in the yard or behind the house. The Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse instead backs up against the north side of the main house, and the area in front of its south-facing door is absorbed into the house itself. Kiryu City explains that this fairly roomy kuramae was where goods were brought in and out and checked.
The northern 6-mat room of the family's inner rooms connects directly to the kuramae of the east storehouse. Bolts that had been inspected in the front rooms could be carried through the house and put away without ever going outdoors. For a firm handling expensive silk, keeping the stock indoors from loom to shelf made good sense.
Pebble-finish mortar outside, boards inside
The Morishima East Storehouse measures 5.6 by 3.8 meters. Its outer walls are rendered in mortar with scored joints and given an Araidashi finish, in which the surface is washed back to expose the small stones in the mix. Many storehouses are finished in white lime plaster, so this granular, pebbly skin marks it as a product of modern plastering.
The inner walls are lined with boards. In a store that holds cloth directly, keeping damp and dirt off the goods matters, and timber lining suits that purpose. It is a small two-story building, yet it has everything a textile company needed in a stockroom for finished goods.
Why the Morishima East Storehouse was registered
The Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation. Beside it, also north of the main house, stands the west storehouse, built to hold raw silk. The family thus kept its raw material and its finished product in separate stores right behind the living rooms, and together the two buildings show how a weaver's home was organized around the business.
Seeing the Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse
The Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse stands behind the main house within the family's private home and is not open to the public (checked September 2026). From the road to the south it is hidden by the house and garden. There is no official guidance on photography. Directions to the site and opening details for the Orimono Sankokan Yukari museum on the same grounds are on the Morihide Textiles page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- What was the Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse used for?
- It held finished bolts of cloth woven by Morihide Textiles. The kuramae in front of its door was used for moving goods in and out and for inspection.
- What does "inner storehouse" mean for the Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse?
- Part of the main house serves as the storehouse forecourt, so the store is entered from inside the home. The northern 6-mat room of the house opens onto it.
- How big is the Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse?
- It is a two-story timber building of 5.6 by 3.8 meters, with a building area of 21 square meters. The outside is pebble-finish mortar with scored joints, and the inside is lined with boards.
- When was the Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse registered?
- On August 3, 2006. It is dated to around 1924.
- Can visitors see the Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse?
- No. It stands inside the family's private home and is not open to the public (checked September 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 4-2-24 Higashi, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2006 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 21 m², 5.6 m × 3.8 m (two-story timber) |
| Owner | Morihide Textiles Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Cultural Properties Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005577
- Cultural Heritage Online: Morishima Family Residence East Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/152185
- Kiryu City: Morishima Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1002001.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
