What Is the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex?
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex (黒田清右衛門商店離れ, hanare) is a late Taisho-period guest annex, extended around 1927, on the west side of the premises of Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten, a hardware wholesaler in Honmachi 2-chome, Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 5, 2019.
It is a timber building, partly two storeys and partly one, with a tiled roof and a building area of 41 m²; the registration also covers an attached wall. The government database dates it to the late Taisho period, between 1919 and 1926, and lists it as registration number 28-0728.
Why the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex Was Registered
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex was registered as a model of design, a criterion shared by only one other of the 11 structures, the reception wing. A generation after that late Meiji wing, the family built a second place to receive guests, and this one became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for the same reason: the quality of its rooms.
The annex has two parts: a two-storey reception block under a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) and, to its south, a single-storey study. Miki City notes that the annex and the long west storehouse together form the west side of the premises. The storehouse holds the boundary as working storage, and the annex fits into its northern end as a small building for hospitality and reading.
What to Look for at the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex
Alcoves that change direction
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the ground floor of the reception block is an eight-mat room with a Tokonoma alcove and shelves on the north wall. Upstairs is a six-mat room whose alcove, shelves and built-in writing bay are on the west wall. The upper room is the more formal of the two, with the writing bay added. Both floors have a veranda wrapping round from the south to the east side, so each room opened onto two directions of light.
A four-mat study with bookshelves
The single-storey wing to the south is a study of four mats, with an alcove and built-in bookshelves on its west wall. Shelving for books set beside an alcove marks it clearly as a private room for the head of the house.
The oval window
In the south gable of the study is an oval round window, the one openly decorative touch in the description and an easy way to pick out the south end of the annex.
The records do not say which part of the building is the extension of about 1927.
Visiting the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex stands on the west side of the premises, south of the inner storehouse, and does not face the street. It belongs to a working company and no public opening is announced (checked October 2, 2026); it is hard to see from outside at all.
Directions and the history of the premises are on the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten page.
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Q&A
- When was the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex built?
- In the late Taisho period, between 1919 and 1926, with an extension of about 1927, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- What kind of building is the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex?
- A two-storey gabled reception block with a single-storey study to the south, 41 m² in building area. An attached wall is included in the registration.
- What is special about the study in the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex?
- It is a four-mat room with an alcove and built-in bookshelves on the west wall and an oval window in the south gable.
- Why is the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex a registered cultural property?
- It was registered as a model of design. Only the annex and the reception wing, of the 11 structures, were registered on that criterion.
- Can visitors see the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex?
- It stands on the west side of the premises, away from the street, and no public opening is announced (checked October 2, 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex |
|---|---|
| Location | 980 Honmachi 2-chome and other lots, Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building (with wall) |
| Dimensions | Building area 41 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database (Miki City gives Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Co., Ltd. as owner of the premises) |
| Public Access | Not open (inside the premises, not facing the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Annex (in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013161
- Miki City History Museum: Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.miki.lg.jp/site/mikirekishishiryokan/19137.html
- Miki City press release on the registration, July 16, 2019 (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.miki.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/13117.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.02
