Yoneda Family Residence Storehouse

The Estate Storehouse

The Yoneda Family Residence Storehouse (米田家住宅土蔵, Yoneda-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse built in 1941 (Showa 16) in the north-west of the Yoneda estate in Uyama, Sumoto City, Hyogo Prefecture, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2004.

Built in dozo-zukuri, the thick-walled, fire-resistant construction of Japanese storehouses, it faces south. Its gable roof (kirizuma-zukuri) runs east to west and is laid in hongawarabuki, the heavier system of alternating round and flat tiles. It covers 38 square metres. Just to the west, in the north-west corner, stands the shrine to the household deity.

Most of the other buildings on the estate use lighter pan tiles, which makes the full tile roof of the Yoneda Family Residence Storehouse stand out.

Why It Was Registered

The Yoneda Family Residence Storehouse was registered on 2 March 2004, in the 41st round of national registrations, as number 28-0147, under the criterion of serving as a model of good design.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it is carefully built throughout and calls it an indispensable part of a large residence. From its stone base to its wall finish and the little canopy over its door, a building meant for storage received the same attention as the main house and guest hall.

What to Look For

A base of cut granite

The storehouse stands on a base of precisely cut granite blocks with tight joints. The base keeps damp away from the walls and gives the building a firm footing. The neighbouring shrine rests on the same kind of granite base.

The mizukiri line

The walls are finished in white shikkui lime plaster, with a mizukiri ledge at the line between the 2 floors to throw rainwater clear of the wall below. That single horizontal line across the white face gives the store its proportions.

A small roof over the door

A little canopy in pan tiles shelters the doorway at the centre of the south front, a lighter roof tucked beneath the heavy main one.

Visiting

The storehouse is part of a private home. As of October 2026 we found no announcement of interior viewings or tours, and the grounds are closed. It stands in the north-west of the estate, and we could not confirm whether it can be seen from outside the property.

Exterior photographs are available in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database of national cultural properties.