A Two-Storey Storehouse Behind the Main House
The Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse (村上家住宅衣装蔵, Murakami-ke Jūtaku Ishōgura) is a two-storey, earth-walled dozo storehouse of the late Edo period (1830–1868) in Imazu-cho, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 September 2010 under registration number 34-0097.
It stands immediately north of the main house with its ridge running east to west. The building measures 9.8 metres by 4.9 metres, with a footprint of 48 square metres, and carries a gabled roof of full round-and-flat tiles. It rests on a foundation of dressed stone.
An ishōgura is literally a "clothing store": a fireproof room for kimono, furnishings and the other valuables a prosperous household accumulated. The estate kept its rice in a separate, smaller building, so this was the larger of the two stores, a hint at how much the family had to protect.
Why It Was Registered
The Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse is notable for its finish. The outer walls are clad high up in vertical boards, a practical skin that keeps rain off the earthen walls, and above the boards the eaves are sealed in white Shikkui plaster.
Inside, the ground floor is split into two rooms, each with its own doorway sheltered by a small pent roof. Even the interior walls are plastered, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles this out as careful workmanship. Effort spent on surfaces few people would ever see speaks to the value of what was kept there.
All eight structures of the estate were registered on the same day as contributions to the historic landscape. This storehouse anchors the western end of the northern range of buildings that closes off the back of the compound.
What to Look For
The two ground-floor doorways are the clue to how the Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse worked. Dividing one store into two rooms with separate entrances suggests that different classes of goods were kept apart and handled separately.
To the east, a barn joins the storehouse to the rice store beyond. Seen from the north, outside the walls, the three read as a single continuous range of heavy tiled roofs and thick walls, with the clothing storehouse at its western end.
Visiting
The Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse stands inside a private residence and its interior is not open to the public. As of September 2026 there were no announced visit arrangements. Because it sits at the back of the compound, north of the main house, views from outside the property are limited. The Murakami Family Residence page covers the layout of the estate and how to get there.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse?
- It is inside a private residence and not open to the public. As of September 2026 there were no announced visit arrangements.
- When was the Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse built?
- The national register dates it to the late Edo period (1830–1868).
- How big is the Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse?
- It is a two-storey earth-walled storehouse measuring 9.8 metres by 4.9 metres, with a building area of 48 square metres.
- What is a clothing storehouse (ishōgura)?
- A fireproof store for kimono, furnishings and other household valuables. The Murakami estate kept its rice in a separate rice storehouse.
- Why is the Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse considered valuable?
- For its careful finish: board cladding and plastered eaves outside, and interior walls plastered as well, which the Agency for Cultural Affairs highlights.
Basic Information
| Name | Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse (村上家住宅衣装蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1929 Naganami, Imazu-cho, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registration no. 34-0097 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/9/10 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey dozo storehouse, tiled roof, building area 48 square metres (9.8 metres by 4.9 metres) |
| Owner | Not listed (Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Private residence; interior not open, no public opening announced |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008369
- Cultural Heritage Online: Murakami Family Residence Clothing Storehouse
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/170291
- Fukuyama Cultural Properties Navi (Fukuyama City): Murakami Family Residence Main House and seven others
- https://fukubun.net/ja/collection/692
Last verified: 2026.09.24
