Facing north on a highway corner
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building is a late Edo period Machiya townhouse, built between 1830 and 1868, in Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and it was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on 1 August 2016. It occupies the corner plot on Nakajo-dori, the street that once carried the Mito highway, and presents its front to the north. The building covers 74 square meters, stands 2 stories in Dozo-zukuri earthen-wall construction, and is roofed with tile.
The entrance is on the long eaves side, an arrangement called Hirairi, which gives the widest possible frontage to the road. The plan announces the purpose. A shop needed customers to come in off the highway, and the building was laid out to let them. The facade is sealed in Shikkui lime plaster, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs reads the surviving evidence as showing that this plaster was originally black.
What the registration commentary emphasises is the height of the upper floor. For a townhouse put up after the great Tempo era fire, it notes, the second story is unusually tall and the form well developed. Earthen-walled townhouses give up interior room to wall thickness. This one recovered the loss by growing upward.
Alterations followed in 1885 and again in 1911, with a further round of repair in 1998. A late Edo frame carries three campaigns of work done while the business kept trading.
Registered for what it does to the street
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building holds registration number 08-0285, the lowest of the 5 buildings on the former Daitoku premises. The shop storehouse south building (08-0286), the side storehouse (08-0287), the original storehouse (08-0288) and the facing storehouse (08-0289) became Registered Tangible Cultural Property on the same date. The listing criterion in every case is contribution to the historic landscape of the nation, and Tsuchiura City owns all 5.
That criterion asks what a building does for its surroundings rather than how refined it is in isolation. Standing on the corner and facing north, this is the first surface a walker on Nakajo-dori meets, and it declares where the Daitoku premises begin. The row of storehouses behind only comes into view after this front has been passed.
Tsuchiura City records Daitoku as the shop and residence of Daikokuya Tokubei, a cloth merchant whose trade flourished in the middle Edo period. In a merchant house of that era, where business and household shared one address, the building on the highway handled customers and negotiations. That was the work of this north building.
What to look for at the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building
A corner site lets you see two elevations at once. From the pavement diagonally opposite, the north front and the east flank compose into a single view. Use that position to compare the height of the upper windows with the buildings of Machikado-kura Nomura across the road. The judgment about an unusually tall second story reads more clearly in comparison than on its own.
The front wall is not flat. The plaster thickens around every opening so that frames sit back in a recess, denying fire any lip to catch on. The effect is structural rather than decorative.
Step through the lattice door and the ceiling height registers physically. Locate the beams, then look up towards the second floor, and the dimension measured from outside resolves itself from within. The ground floor carries a tourist information desk and a sales counter, so the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building remains a building people walk in and out of.
Visiting the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building is the entrance to Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku, the group of buildings opened to the public by Tsuchiura City, and it can be visited at any time during opening hours. These run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., admission is free, and the site closes from 29 December to 3 January. Enquiries go to the Tsuchiura City Tourism Association on 029-824-2810.
The exterior stands on the public street, so photographing it from Nakajo-dori is unrestricted. Nothing is published about photography indoors, so a word at the counter is worth the trouble. When the multipurpose room and the tatami room upstairs are booked, the second floor may not be open.
Nakajo-dori is about a 10 minute walk from the west exit of Tsuchiura Station on the JR Joban Line. The corner position makes the building easy to pick out once you reach the street. Kijo Park, laid out on the site of Tsuchiura Castle, lies in the same Chuo 1-chome district and preserves the only surviving castle Yaguramon gatehouse in the Kanto region. Nakajo-dori was the merchant quarter of that castle town, so the highway frontage and the seat of the domain were always parts of one plan.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Ibaraki
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building
- [ Hitachi Seaside Park Nemophila Flower Tours ]
Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building, and what are the hours and admission?
- Yes. It forms the entrance to Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku and opens from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with free admission. The site closes from 29 December to 3 January. Enquiries: Tsuchiura City Tourism Association, 029-824-2810.
- When was the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building built and registered?
- It was built in the late Edo period, between 1830 and 1868, and registered on 1 August 2016 under number 08-0285. Work was carried out in 1885, in 1911 and again in 1998.
- Why was the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building registered?
- Under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to the unusually tall second story, well developed for a townhouse built after the great Tempo era fire.
- How large is the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building?
- The building area is 74 square meters, over 2 stories, in earthen-wall construction with a tile roof. It is entered from the long eaves side and faces north on the corner of Nakajo-dori.
- How do you get to the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building?
- Walk about 10 minutes from the west exit of Tsuchiura Station on the JR Joban Line. The address is 914-4 Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, on the Machikado-kura Daitoku site.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse North Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 914-4 Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration number 08-0285 |
| Year Designated | Registered on 1 August 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 74 square meters; 2 stories, earthen-wall construction, tile roof |
| Owner | Tsuchiura City |
| Public Access | Open as part of Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., free admission, closed 29 December to 3 January |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database, Kyu Daitoku Gofukuten Misegura Kitato
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011050
- Tsuchiura City, Sightseeing and landmarks
- https://www.city.tsuchiura.lg.jp/kanko-bunka-sports/kanko-matsuri-event/kanko/page001097.html
- Tsuchiura City, Scenic spots and historic sites
- https://www.city.tsuchiura.lg.jp/kanko-bunka-sports/kanko-matsuri-event/kanko/page001098.html
- Tsuchiura City public relations bulletin, Machikado-kura Daitoku and Nomura registered as national cultural properties
- https://www.city.tsuchiura.lg.jp/data/doc/1488350280_doc_159_1.pdf
- Tsuchiura City Tourism Association, Machikado-kura
- https://www.tsuchiura-kankou.jp/machikado_kura/
Last verified: 2026.09.07