The Storehouse by the Courtyard
Toward the southern half of the Ogawa Family Residence, near the inner courtyard, stands the storehouse, a dozo of the thick earthen-walled kind that Japanese households built to guard their valuables against fire and damp. It sits within the cluster of buildings around the courtyard, where the main house and the detached wing are linked by roofed corridors into a close-knit group.
A storehouse of this type is built as a strongbox in architectural form: heavy plastered walls over a timber frame, small openings, and a tiled roof. In a villa given over to entertaining, it held the household's goods, the scrolls, vessels, and seasonal furnishings that a house of this standing kept and rotated through its rooms.
Part of the Registered Ensemble
The storehouse was registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2006, one of the eleven structures listed together. Its worth lies in belonging to a complete set. Around the courtyard, main house, detached wing, and storehouse survive in the relation their builders gave them, and the storehouse is the utilitarian anchor of that group.
The listing system favors keeping buildings where they stand and in the roles they were built for. Here the storehouse still reads as part of a living household rather than an isolated relic, which is much of what makes the residence as a whole worth preserving.
What to Look For on a Visit
See the storehouse in relation to what surrounds it. Set against the fine woodwork of the main house and the tea-influenced detailing of the detached wing, its blunt, heavy form makes the range of a wealthy household's needs plain: rooms to receive in, and a vault to keep things safe.
The roofed corridors that tie the buildings around the courtyard are worth tracing, since they show how the household moved goods and people between spaces under cover. The residence is managed by the city of Miki, open Thursday through Sunday, with free admission.
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Questions and Answers
- What is a dozo?
- A storehouse with thick earthen walls finished in plaster, built to protect valuables from fire and damp.
- What was kept in it?
- The household's goods: scrolls, vessels, and seasonal furnishings a villa of this standing kept and rotated.
- Where does it stand?
- In the southern half of the grounds, near the inner courtyard, among the buildings linked by roofed corridors.
- Can visitors see it?
- The residence opens Thursday to Sunday, 10:00 to 16:00, with free admission.
Basic Information
| Registration category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
|---|---|
| Date of registration | 29 November 2006 |
| Location | 3-6-24 Honmachi, Miki, Hyogo |
| Managed by | City of Miki |
| Access | About 7 min on foot from Miki Station (Kobe Electric Railway Ao Line) |
| Open | Thu-Sun, 10:00-16:00, admission free |
| Note | Earthen-walled storehouse (dozo) near the inner courtyard; part of the building group around the courtyard |
References
- Miki City — Former Ogawa Family Villa (Kyu-Ogawa-ke Bettei)
- https://www.city.miki.lg.jp/soshiki/33/2987.html
- Miki City Museum of History — Ogawa Family Residence (Registered Cultural Property)
- https://www.city.miki.lg.jp/site/mikirekishishiryokan/4099.html
- Miki City Tourism — Former Ogawa Family Villa
- https://www.mikishi-kankou.com/history/593/
Last verified: 2026.07.04