A single-storey storehouse on the street front
The Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse (コヤノ美術館西脇館（旧藤井家住宅）米蔵, komegura) in Ichihara-cho, Nishiwaki, Hyogo Prefecture, is a late Meiji-period Dozo-zukuri storehouse of one storey, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on November 17, 2015. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to between 1898 and 1912.
It stands at the southern end of the estate's east front, just south of the front gate. The ridge runs east to west under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, so the building turns its gable end to the road. With a building area of 48 square meters, it is much smaller than the two-storey kimono storehouse at 79 square meters.
The door is in the north wall, sheltered by a small roof. North faces into the estate, so rice went in and out from inside the grounds rather than from the street.
Why it was registered: the face of the estate
The Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse was registered (no. 28-0630) as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, set at the south of the east front, it helps shape the view of the estate from the road.
Seen from the street, the front is a long run of gate and board-faced wall, and the white gable of the storehouse adds the bulk of a building to that line. Without it, the frontage would read as little more than fencing.
What to look for: a different finish on each face
The walls of the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse are not finished the same way all round. On the north side and on both gable ends, the lower part is artificial-stone washout, with Shikkui lime plaster above. Washout is a mix of cement and crushed stone whose surface was rinsed to expose the grains, a hard-wearing, water-resistant base used on modern-era storehouses and Western-style buildings.
The south wall alone is clad in vertical boards right up to the eaves. The likely logic is that the side most exposed to sun and rain gets timber protection, while the faces seen from the street and from inside the estate are kept white. Look at the corner from the road at an angle and you can see the plaster give way to boards.
Inside, the walls are lined with carefully fitted board paneling. That keeps sacks of rice off the earthen walls and slows the passage of damp, so the building is a clay storehouse outside and a timber room within, a practical double skin for storing grain.
Seeing the rice storehouse
Because the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse sits right beside the front gate, its east gable and boarded south wall are visible from the road before you even go in. The north door and its little roof can be seen once you are through the gate.
The museum's photography guidelines exclude storehouse interiors from shooting locations, and whether the tour takes you inside depends on the guide on the day. The exterior is worth time on its own: in low, raking light the line where the washout base meets the plaster on the gable ends stands out clearly.
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Q&A
- When was the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Meiji period, 1898 to 1912. It was registered on November 17, 2015 (registration no. 28-0630).
- Where is the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse on the estate?
- At the southern end of the east front, just south of the front gate. Its ridge runs east to west, so the gable end faces the road, and the door is on the north side, facing into the grounds.
- How are the walls of the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse finished?
- The north wall and both gable ends have an artificial-stone washout base with lime plaster above, while the south wall is clad in vertical boards all the way up. The interior walls are lined with board paneling.
- Can visitors go inside the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse?
- The museum excludes storehouse interiors from its photography locations, and access to the inside depends on the guide on the day. The east gable and the south wall can be seen from the road outside the estate.
- How big is the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey clay-walled storehouse with a gabled pantile roof and a building area of 48 square meters. A small roof shelters the north door.
Basic Information
| Name | Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 139 Ichihara-cho, Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on November 17, 2015 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, tiled roof, building area 48 m² |
| Owner | Koyano Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Shown on guided tours of the Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Sundays; other days by reservation) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010860
- Cultural Heritage Online: Koyano Museum of Art Nishiwaki Building (Former Fujii Family Residence) Rice Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/247315
- Koyano Museum of Art: Floor Guide, Nishiwaki Building (Japanese)
- https://koyafron.co.jp/museum/nishiwaki/floor.html
- Koyano Museum of Art: Photo Shoots and Venue Use (Japanese)
- https://koyafron.co.jp/museum/nishiwaki/rental.html
Last verified: 2026.10.04
