About the Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse
The Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse (茂原家住宅西蔵, Shigehara-ke Jūtaku Nishigura) is an earthen storehouse at the Shigehara Family Residence in Obata, Kanra Town, Gunma Prefecture, dated on stylistic grounds to the final decades of the Edo period (1830 to 1867), and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 31, 2003.
A two-storey Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof and a footprint of 41 square meters, it stands just southwest of the retirement storehouse and closes off the southwest corner of the plot, the most tucked-away spot in the compound.
Doors and Plaster Relief Facing the Garden
The Shigehara west storehouse is entered on its long side in Hirairi fashion. Its east face, toward the garden, has a pair of hinged double doors, and above them is a relief sculpted in Shikkui lime plaster. The decorated front faces into the garden rather than out to the street.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs does not describe the motif. Both the doors and the relief are placed to be seen from the garden inside the compound.
A Floating Roof and an Estimated Date
The roof is an Okiyane, framed separately and set on top of the clay body of the storehouse. The neighboring retirement storehouse, by contrast, has no floating roof and rises three storeys with a gable-end entrance, so the two adjoining storehouses take quite different forms.
No dated record is cited for the Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse; the Agency places it in the final Edo decades from its form. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, the Agency calling it indispensable to the scenery of the plot.
Visiting the West Storehouse
The Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse is privately owned and its interior is not open to the public. No special openings were found at the time of writing.
Its doors and plaster relief are on the garden side, facing east, and are probably not visible from outside the property. How much of the building shows from the road has not been confirmed. Please do not enter the grounds.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse built?
- No dated record is cited. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the final decades of the Edo period, 1830 to 1867, from its form. It was registered on January 31, 2003.
- What should I look for on the Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse?
- The pair of double doors on the east face, toward the garden, and the lime-plaster relief above them.
- Where does the Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse stand?
- At the southwest corner of the plot, immediately southwest of the retirement storehouse.
- How does the Shigehara west storehouse differ from the retirement storehouse?
- The west storehouse has two storeys, a floating roof and a long-side entrance. The retirement storehouse has three storeys, no floating roof and a gable-end entrance, though both date from the final Edo decades.
- Can I visit the Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned and closed to visitors, and its doors face the garden inside the property.
Basic Information
| Name | Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1445-1 Obata, Kanra-machi, Kanra-gun, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered January 31, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 41 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003066
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shigehara Family Residence West Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/179286
- 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
