A stone storehouse at the northeast corner
The Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse is a two-storey stone building of 1909 (Meiji 42) at the northeast corner of the Arakawa compound at 868 Ko, Chikusei City, Ibaraki Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1999 (Heisei 11). It has a Sangawara-buki Kirizuma-zukuri roof over 83 square meters.
The ridge runs east to west, and the building measures 5 Ken along it by 2 and a half Ken across, a size up from the inner storehouse nearby. Of the five listed buildings on this plot, only the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse has walls of stacked stone.
It went up two years after the shop storehouse was finished, at a time when the family was brewing soy sauce, and most likely answered a need for more storage.
Stone from across the prefectural border
Registration number 08-0011 covers the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse, listed, like the inner storehouse, as a building that would be difficult to recreate.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as resembling the Oya stone storehouses common around Tochigi. The Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education goes further and calls it a stone storehouse built of Oya stone. Oya stone is a tuff quarried around Oya in Utsunomiya, light, easy to cut and resistant to fire, and it was used widely for storehouses across the northern Kanto region in the modern period.
Chikusei borders Tochigi, and the quarries lie one prefectural line away from Shimodate. The Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse marks how far that stone travelled to find customers.
The framed opening on the east gable
The east gable is where the eye goes first at the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse. The opening is surrounded by a frame built entirely of straight lines, with a hood above it to throw off rain, carried on Mochiokuri brackets.
Cut an opening into a stone wall and water will run down the face and work at the joints. The hood is a practical answer to that. Combined with the frame, it also turns the opening into a self-contained figure set within the wall.
There is an odd rhyme here. The straight-edged geometry of this stonework anticipates the Art Deco elevation the family would build 24 years later at the front of the same plot. A mason and an architect arrived at comparable shapes by unrelated routes.
Visiting the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse
The Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse is privately owned, closed to visitors, and set far enough back that it cannot be taken in from the street. Exterior photographs are published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
Do not enter the property to photograph it, and please do not approach across neighbouring private land.
The walk from the station covers about 700 meters and takes some 10 minutes from the north exit of Shimodate Station, where the JR Mito Line, the Kanto Railway Joso Line and the Moka Railway all call. Enquiries about access go to the Culture and Sports Division of Chikusei City. Details confirmed on 5 September 2026.
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Q&A
- Can I visit the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse?
- No. The Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse is closed to the public and stands at the far corner of a private plot, out of sight from the road. Photographs appear in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- When was the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse built?
- In 1909 (Meiji 42). It was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 August 1999, under registration number 08-0011.
- What stone was the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse built from?
- The Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education identifies it as Oya stone, a tuff quarried near Utsunomiya in Tochigi. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the building as resembling the Oya stone storehouses common in that area.
- What is the main feature of the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse?
- The east gable end. Its opening is set in a frame of straight lines with a rain hood above, carried on carved brackets, so a practical defence against water becomes the decorative motif.
- How do I get to the Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse?
- It lies about 700 meters from Shimodate Station, roughly 10 minutes on foot from the north exit, with the JR Mito Line, Kanto Railway Joso Line and Moka Railway all serving the station.
Basic Information
| Name | Arakawa Family Residence Stone Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 868 Ko, Chikusei City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 1999 (Heisei 11) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Stone, 2 storeys, tile roof, building area 83 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Closed to the public and not fully visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database (Registered Tangible Cultural Property, Buildings)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001238
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education: Arakawa Family Residence, Main House and Four Others
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6491/
- Chikusei City: Arakawa Family Residence (registration numbers 08-0007 to 08-0011)
- https://www.city.chikusei.lg.jp/kyouiku-bunka-sports/bunkazai/nationally-registered/page000272.html
Last verified: 2026.09.05