About the Satomi Family Residence Storehouse
The Satomi Family Residence Storehouse (里見家住宅蔵, Satomi-ke Jūtaku Kura) is a late Edo-period fireproof storehouse, built between 1830 and 1867, in the southeast corner of the Satomi farmstead in Shimo-Osaka, Shimonita Town, Gunma Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 5, 2007. Gunma Prefecture's list of registered properties records it under the slightly different name Satomi Family Residence Dozo (earthen storehouse).
It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with thick clay walls, measuring 3 Ken by 2.5 ken (a ken is roughly 1.8 meters) and covering 27 square meters. After the main house, it is the largest building on the property.
Why It Was Registered
The Satomi Family Residence Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to its plain, uncluttered design and to the way it gives order to the setting of the farmstead.
With the main house to the north and the miso storehouse and gate lined up along the road, the white storehouse holds down the southeast corner of the plot. Its presence there is what makes the four buildings read as one complete compound rather than a scatter of structures.
A Floating Roof and a Stepped Fire Door
The roof of the Satomi Family Residence Storehouse is a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, built as an Okiyane: a separate roof frame set on top of the sealed clay body of the storehouse. According to the Agency, it was originally covered with wooden boards held down by stones, and the tiles came later.
The outer walls are finished in white Shikkui lime plaster. The entrance is in the west gable end, under a small Hisashi canopy, and is closed by a pair of Kakegonuri doors, clay doors whose edges are built up in steps so that the two leaves lock into each other when shut.
A window opens in the north side of the upper floor. Apart from that window and the west door, the walls are left as unbroken expanses of white plaster.
Visiting the Satomi Family Residence Storehouse
The Satomi Family Residence Storehouse is privately owned and its interior is closed to the public, so the stepped clay doors in the west gable cannot be examined up close.
Please stay off the property and look only at what can be seen from outside, taking any photographs from the public road.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Satomi Family Residence Storehouse
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Satomi Family Residence Storehouse built?
- It dates from the late Edo period, between 1830 and 1867.
- Why is the Satomi Family Residence Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on December 5, 2007, for contributing to the historic landscape, with its plain design giving order to the farmstead.
- Did the Satomi Family Residence Storehouse always have a tiled roof?
- No. It now has a tiled okiyane roof, but it was originally roofed with wooden boards weighted down with stones.
- Where is the entrance to the Satomi Family Residence Storehouse?
- It is in the west gable end, under a small canopy, with a pair of stepped kakegonuri clay doors.
- Can visitors go inside the Satomi Family Residence Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned and the interior is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Satomi Family Residence Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 48 Takenohana, Shimo-Osaka, Shimonita-machi, Kanra-gun, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on December 5, 2007 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 27 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Satomi Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006625
- Cultural Heritage Online: Satomi Family Residence Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/142388
- Gunma Prefecture: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Gunma (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.gunma.jp/uploaded/attachment/677575.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.03
