What Is the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse?
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse (黒田清右衛門商店南蔵, minamikura) is an early Meiji-period clay-walled storehouse on the south 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 two-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse with a tiled roof, 9.0 m long, with a building area of 38 m². The government database dates it to the early Meiji period, between 1868 and 1882, and lists it as registration number 28-0725.
Why the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse Was Registered
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. It adjoins the west side of the southeast corner storehouse, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it the building that forms the south side of the plot. Between the two corner stores, it closes the southern boundary of the house in one continuous line, and that is its role as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The other storehouses are described simply as holding stock or household goods. For this one, the record names what each room held, which makes it the best guide on the premises to what a merchant household actually needed to keep.
What to Look for at the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse
Household goods, records and fuel
According to the government description, the ground floor of the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse is partitioned and was used, from east to west, as a household store, a bunko-gura for books and records, and a store for firewood and charcoal. The upper floor is a single room for household goods.
A bunko-gura held books, account ledgers and deeds; the fuel store kept the wood and charcoal for cooking and heating. Tools for sale went to the other stores, while this one held the family's things, its records and its fuel. When Miki City writes that the storehouses held documents as well as goods, this record room is likely one of the places it means.
The description says the ground floor is divided into two rooms, yet it lists three uses. The record does not explain the difference.
North canopy and boarded base
On the north side, facing into the premises, is a Sangawara-buki pantiled Hisashi canopy. The walls are Shikkui lime plaster with Tateita-bari vertical boarding at the base. Like the two corner stores on either side, it turns its canopy to the north, so every storehouse on the south side opens toward the inside of the house.
Visiting the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse
The Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse stands on the south side of the premises behind the main house and does not face the street. It belongs to a working company and no public opening is announced (checked October 2, 2026).
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 South Storehouse built?
- In the early Meiji period, between 1868 and 1882, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It was registered in 2019.
- What was kept in the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse?
- On the ground floor, from east to west, household goods, books and records, and firewood and charcoal; upstairs, household goods.
- What is the bunko-gura in the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse?
- A store for books, account ledgers, deeds and other records.
- How big is the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse?
- It is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse 9.0 m long, with a building area of 38 m².
- Can visitors see the Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse?
- It stands at the back of the premises, away from the street, and no public opening is announced (checked October 2, 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Dimensions | Length 9.0 m; building area 38 m² |
| Owner | Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open (inside the premises, not facing the street) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten South Storehouse (in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013158
- Miki City History Museum: Kuroda Seiuemon Shoten (in Japanese)
- https://www.city.miki.lg.jp/site/mikirekishishiryokan/19137.html
Last verified: 2026.10.02
