What is the Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse?
The Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse (森島家住宅西蔵, Morishima-ke Jūtaku Nishigura) is a three-story storehouse in Higashi 4-chome, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, built around 1951 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 3, 2006. It is a timber building with a gabled roof of Sangawara-buki tiles and a building area of 26 square meters.
It stands north of the main house of the Morishima family, owners of the omeshi silk weaver Morihide Textiles, alongside the east storehouse, and it was built to store raw silk. The owner is Morihide Textiles Co., Ltd. Its layout is unusual: storage on the first and second floors, and an 8-mat tatami Zashiki room on the third. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles it out as showing the character of a silk weaver's home. Of the five Morishima Family Residence buildings, the west storehouse is the only one built after the war.
A raw-silk store on the site of an older one
According to Kiryu City, the spot where the Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse now stands was once occupied by the old storehouse of Morihide Textiles, which served the mill as its raw-silk store. That older building was later moved to the northwest corner of the site, where it is now the storehouse gallery of the Orimono Sankokan Yukari museum, and the west storehouse was built in its place as a new raw-silk warehouse.
Kiryu City's own materials disagree on when the old storehouse was moved: one says after the Second World War, another places it in the latter half of the Showa 30s, roughly a decade after the date recorded for the west storehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the west storehouse to around 1951, so the sequence has not been fully reconciled.
Either way, the raw-silk store stayed in the same place, directly behind the family's living rooms. It suggests how much it mattered to a weaver to keep his most valuable material close at hand.
Three stories: two of storage, one of tatami
The Morishima West Storehouse measures 5.8 by 4.4 meters. Its outer walls are rendered in mortar. The first and second floors are lined with boards and used as storage, and the third floor is an 8-mat tatami room that Kiryu City describes as a later addition.
Kiryu City likens its outline to that of a house, with an irregular roofline that follows the internal stair. A closed storehouse base topped by a room with windows and its own roof looks quite unlike the usual image of a kura. A doorway on the south side connects to the main house through a corridor, another sign that this store was used as part of the home.
Why the Morishima West Storehouse was registered
The Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sees its role as a raw-silk warehouse as characteristic of a weaver's residence. The east storehouse next door held finished cloth, while the west storehouse held raw silk, and between them the two buildings show how the household divided its stock.
Seeing the Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse
The Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse stands north of the main house within the family's private home and is not open to the public (checked September 2026). There is no official guidance on photography. The old storehouse that once stood on its site can be seen as the storehouse gallery of the Orimono Sankokan Yukari museum on the same grounds. Directions and opening details are on the Morihide Textiles page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- What was the Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse used for?
- It was built to store raw silk for Morihide Textiles. The east storehouse next door held finished bolts of cloth.
- What is on the third floor of the Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse?
- An 8-mat tatami room. The two floors below are board-lined storage. Kiryu City describes the third floor as a later addition.
- When was the Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse built?
- Around 1951, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs database. It is the only postwar building among the five Morishima Family Residence properties.
- What stood on the site of the Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse before?
- The old storehouse of Morihide Textiles. It was moved to the northwest corner of the site and is now the storehouse gallery of the Orimono Sankokan Yukari museum.
- Can visitors see the Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse?
- No. It is inside the family's private home and closed to the public (checked September 2026). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 3, 2006.
Basic Information
| Name | Morishima Family Residence West 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 26 m², 5.8 m × 4.4 m (three-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 West Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005578
- Cultural Heritage Online: Morishima Family Residence West Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/181796
- Kiryu City: Morishima Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1002001.html
- Kiryu City: Morihide Textile Factory (Orimono Sankokan Yukari) building notes (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/000/yukari-2.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.29
