About the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse
The Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse (遠藤家住宅南石蔵, Endō-ke Jūtaku Minami Ishikura) is a single-storey stone storehouse built around 1919 at 5-18 Minami 6-jo Nishi in Chuo Ward, Sapporo, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 7, 2014.
The Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse stands toward the south end of the east side of the estate. It has a building area of just 18 m², a sheet-metal roof and a concrete basement on its south side. By floor area it is the smallest of the six registered Endo structures.
Why the South Stone Storehouse Was Registered
Like the rest of the estate, the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Small as it is, the Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with tightening the composition of the grounds.
A second storehouse of the same type, the north stone storehouse, stands further along the same side. Both use the east boundary wall as one of their own walls, so building and wall read as a single piece of masonry.
A Lean-To Built Against the Boundary Wall
The walls of the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse are Sapporo nanseki, the local soft volcanic stone, laid in Nunozumi courses with continuous horizontal joints. The doorway is on one of the long sides, the Hirairi arrangement. On the east there is no separate wall at all: the stone boundary wall of the estate serves as the storehouse's outer face.
The roof is a single slope, a lean-to. Stone Mochiokuri brackets project from the inner face of that wall and carry the timber plate that receives the ends of the rafters. Using brackets cut in stone, rather than timber, to hang a roof off a boundary wall is the clever part of this little building. Both gable ends have windows.
A Basement Used as a Muro
A concrete basement is attached to the south side of the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse, and the Agency's description says it was used as a muro. In Hokkaido the word generally means an underground or half-buried store where vegetables and other food were kept through the winter without freezing. Below ground the temperature swings far less than in the open air, which made such cellars valuable in a cold climate.
A stone store with a root cellar beside it is a small reminder of how a city household in snow country stocked up for the winter.
Seeing the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse
Neither the interior nor the basement of the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse is open. Its east face is the boundary wall itself, so from outside on that side the storehouse appears only as part of the wall. The brackets and gable windows are inside the enclosure, and you should not expect to see them from the street.
No official guidance on photography could be found as of October 2026.
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Q&A
- When was the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse built?
- Around 1919, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- Why is the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2014 as a storehouse that pulls together the landscape of the grounds and contributes to the historic landscape.
- What is the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse built of?
- Coursed Sapporo soft stone, with the estate's stone boundary wall serving as its east wall. The lean-to roof is covered in sheet metal.
- What was the basement of the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse used for?
- The concrete basement on its south side was used as a muro, a cellar for storing food through the winter.
- Can the Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse be seen from outside?
- Only as part of the boundary wall, since its east face is the wall itself. The interior and basement are not open.
Basic Information
| Name | Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse (遠藤家住宅南石蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-18 Minami 6-jo Nishi and others, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2014 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 18 m² (single-storey, stone, with basement) |
| Owner | Not disclosed |
| Public Access | Not open (exterior viewable from outside the grounds only) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010090
- Cultural Heritage Online: Endo Family Residence South Stone Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/276843
- City of Sapporo: Cultural Properties of Sapporo, Endo Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.sapporo.jp/shimin/bunkazai/pdf/documents/p56_endoke_ol.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
