A Storehouse Facing the Main House
The Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse (阿江家住宅道具蔵, Ae-ke Jūtaku Dōgukura) is a single-storey earthen storehouse of about 1948 standing north of the main house at the Ae Family Residence, 590 Shimotakino, Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 24, 2021. It is built in the earthen-walled dozo style with a tiled roof and a building area of 68 square meters.
The two main-house wings and the inner storehouse were registered in 2017; the tool storehouse followed four years later, together with the rice storehouse beside it. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the old town centre of Takino, north of the already registered main house and facing south.
Sources differ on the reading. The Agency's database gives dōgukura; Kato City gives dōgugura.
Built Against Fire
The Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. Where the main house and inner storehouse were valued for their design, the tool storehouse was valued for how it looks in the townscape.
Its gabled roof is laid with pantiles, a lean-to Geya projects over the front, and a large wing wall stands beside it. The outer walls are plastered in lime plaster right up to the eaves, hiding the timber, the standard way of making a storehouse resist fire.
The Agency describes this distinctive exterior as shaped by lessons learned from fire. It does not say which fire, but the fully plastered eaves and the oversized wing wall read clearly as precautions against flames spreading.
What to Look For at the Tool Storehouse
Look first at the size of the wing wall beside the front. Wing walls generally serve as firebreaks, and this one is big enough that the Agency calls it out as large.
Then follow the white plaster up to the eaves. No rafters or eave timbers show; the wall runs unbroken to the underside of the roof.
Inside, out of sight, is a single board-floored room whose plastered walls are framed with closely spaced studs, a tight skeleton carrying the heavy plaster.
Visiting the Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse
The Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse stands north of the main house with its front turned toward it. How much can be seen from the road has not been confirmed, and as a storehouse of a private home it has no advertised interior viewing.
Please stay outside the grounds. Visiting conditions and directions are on the Ae Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- What is the Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey earthen storehouse of about 1948, standing north of the Ae family's main house and facing south. Its building area is 68 square meters.
- When was the Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse registered?
- It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 24, 2021, as No. 28-0765, recognized as a building that contributes to the historic landscape.
- What is distinctive about the Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- A lean-to over the front, a large wing wall at the side and lime plaster carried up to the eaves. The Agency describes the look as shaped by lessons learned from fire.
- How is the Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse read in Japanese?
- The Agency's database reads it Ae-ke jūtaku dōgukura, while Kato City gives dōgugura; both appear in official sources.
- Can visitors see the Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse?
- It is a storehouse of a private home and no interior viewing is advertised. How well it can be seen from the road has not been confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Ae Family Residence Tool Storehouse (阿江家住宅道具蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 590 Shimotakino, Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), No. 28-0765 |
| Year Designated | Registered June 24, 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, building area 68 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Storehouse of a private house; Kato City lists it as open but gives no dates or visiting method |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 阿江家住宅道具蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013862
- Cultural Heritage Online: 阿江家住宅道具蔵
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/519787
- Kato City: 阿江家住宅道具蔵 (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kato.lg.jp/kakukanogoannai/kyouikushinkoubu/shogaigakushuka/bunkazai/siteibunkazai/tourokuyuukeibunkazai/16420.html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
