A Storehouse Older Than the Family
The Soga Family Residence Storehouse (曽我家住宅土蔵, Soga-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a two-storey fireproof storehouse of mid-Meiji date, built in the Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled manner, in Honchō 1-chōme, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, entered on the register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on 18 October 2006.
It stands on the northern edge of the plot, immediately west of the main house, with its ridge running east to west. The footprint is 51 square metres: six ken long (about 10.9 metres) and two and a half ken deep (about 4.5 metres).
The Soga family did not build it. According to Kiryu City, it was put up by the Kakiage family, sake brewers, and it already appears in a copperplate view of the town published in 1889. The Kakiage family's other buildings were demolished; the storehouse alone survived and passed to the Soga family with the land.
Sources date it slightly differently. The national database says mid-Meiji, while a summary table on the Kiryu City website says late Meiji. The city's own note about the 1889 print fits the national dating, and this article follows the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
A Firebreak Along the North Side
The Soga Family Residence Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country, and the Agency's description points to its role in strengthening fire protection along the north side of the property.
The walls are finished in white lime plaster (Shikkui) under a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) pantiled (Sangawara-buki) roof. On the north, its wall runs straight on into the north walls of the main house to the east and the new reception wing to the west, so the entire northern boundary behaves as one fire wall. Kiryu City notes that this north face has since been repaired with modern materials.
The storehouse came first. The main house beside it and the reception wing added in 1922 lined their north walls up with it, extending the fire line in both directions from this older core.
Inside the Storehouse
Inside, the ground floor is divided into two rooms and the upper floor is a single room. The reception room on the west side of the main house serves as the storehouse's anteroom, so the family could pass from living quarters to storage without going outdoors.
Two windows open in the upper storey of the south wall. Seen from the garden, they sit side by side in the white plaster, looking over the open ground inside the gate.
Visiting the Soga Family Residence Storehouse
The Soga Family Residence Storehouse is privately owned and not open inside. Because it stands behind the main house, little of it can be seen from Honchō-dōri; from the gateposts you may catch part of the south face across the garden. Please do not enter the grounds.
Kiryu City asks visitors to obtain permission before photographing buildings in the preservation district, and that applies here too.
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Q&A
- Who built the Soga Family Residence Storehouse?
- According to Kiryu City, it was built by the Kakiage family, who were sake brewers. The Soga family bought the land and its buildings in 1917 and kept the storehouse.
- How old is the Soga Family Residence Storehouse?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji period. A Kiryu City table says late Meiji, but the city also notes that the storehouse already appears in a copperplate print of 1889.
- How big is the Soga Family Residence Storehouse?
- It is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse six ken long (about 10.9 metres) and two and a half ken deep (about 4.5 metres), with a building area of 51 m². The ground floor has two rooms and the upper floor one.
- How does the Soga Family Residence Storehouse protect against fire?
- Its white-plastered north wall continues into the north walls of the main house and the new reception wing, forming a single fire barrier along the north edge of the property.
- Can visitors see the Soga Family Residence Storehouse?
- The interior is not open. The building sits behind the main house and is hard to see from the street; part of the south face is visible across the garden from the gateposts. Please stay off the property.
Basic Information
| Name | Soga Family Residence Storehouse (曽我家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-7-7 Honcho, Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 18 October 2006 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof; building area 51 m². About 10.9 m long, about 4.5 m deep |
| Owner | Private (owner not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior viewable from the street only) |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Soga Family Residence Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005752
- Kiryu City: Soga Family Residence (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/bunkazai/1010700/kunitouroku/1002005.html
- Kiryu City: Soga Family Residence Storehouse, commentary PDF (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/005/soga_dozou.pdf
- Kiryu City: Outline of the Kiryu Shinmachi Preservation District (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp/kankou/spot/denken/about/1003081.html
Last verified: 2026.09.24
