A storehouse with a date on it
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse is an earthen-walled storehouse of 1842 in Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on 1 August 2016. It stands well behind the shop buildings that face Nakajo-dori, the old Mito highway, separated from the south shop building by a courtyard. The building covers 20 square meters. Of the 5 buildings registered on the former Daitoku premises it is both the smallest and the oldest.
The ridge runs north to south over a 2-story Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof of tile. The north end is the front, sheltered by a pent roof, and a window at the upper floor is hung with a kakegonuri door. Kakegonuri means a meeting edge cut in steps, so that the gap between door and frame turns a corner and sparks cannot travel straight through it.
The roof frame uses noboribari, sloping beams that follow the pitch to the ridge instead of horizontal beams carrying short posts. At 20 square meters this is the economical way to build, in timber and in labour both. The Agency for Cultural Affairs is careful to call the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse comparatively small, and then explains why it matters anyway.
A survivor of the great fire
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse carries registration number 08-0288, listed under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the nation. It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on the same day as the shop storehouse north building (08-0285), the shop storehouse south building (08-0286), the side storehouse (08-0287) and the facing storehouse (08-0289). Tsuchiura City owns it.
What separates this building from the other 4 is that its age is documented. The castle town of Tsuchiura burned in a great fire of the Tempo era, and much of the earthen-walled streetscape along Nakajo-dori was put up afterwards. This storehouse came through it. A storehouse whose construction year is firmly known, and which predates the fire as well, is a rare thing in Tsuchiura.
Registration is not only a judgment on design. A building with a secure date gives everything around it a measure against which to be read. That is why a storehouse of 20 square meters holds its own place among the 5.
What to look for at the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse
Stand in the courtyard and face the north front. The gap between the south shop building and the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse turns out not to be empty space left over. Storehouses that share a wall pass heat to each other when one of them burns. A courtyard is a path and also a measured distance held open against fire.
Step under the pent roof and look up at the upper window. Even from below the stepped profile of the door reads in outline. Closed, those steps interlock with the frame so that no gap runs straight.
Give the corners a moment. Plaster builds up thickest where 2 walls meet, and the arris rounds over. Shadow falls across it quite unlike the sharp line a timber building gives. More than 180 years after 1842, the wall still holds that shape.
Visiting the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse belongs to the group Tsuchiura City opens as Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku, and the exterior can be seen from within the grounds 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 the premises, on 029-824-2810.
Because it sits at the back of the plot, this storehouse is invisible from Nakajo-dori. Enter through the lattice door of the north building on the street and work south between the structures until the courtyard opens up. Access to interiors varies from day to day, so ask at the counter before walking through, and ask about photography at the same time.
Nakajo-dori is about a 10 minute walk from the west exit of Tsuchiura Station on the JR Joban Line. Other Edo period townhouses survive along the street, among them the Yaguchi Family Residence, a prefecturally designated cultural property. Walking past them gives some idea of how densely the highway frontage was built up when this storehouse went up.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse, and what are the hours and admission?
- The building stands within Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku and its exterior can be seen during opening hours, 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 Original Storehouse built and registered?
- It was built in 1842, in the Tempo era, and registered on 1 August 2016 under number 08-0288. Repairs were carried out in 1999.
- Why is the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse considered valuable?
- Because its construction year is documented and it predates the great fire of the Tempo era. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a rare surviving storehouse of known date in the castle town of Tsuchiura.
- How large is the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse?
- The building area is 20 square meters, over 2 stories, in earthen-wall construction with a tile roof. The ridge runs north to south, the north end forms the front under a pent roof, and the upper window carries a stepped kakegonuri door. It is the smallest of the 5 buildings.
- Where is the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse?
- At 914-5 and adjacent lots, Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, south of the shop storehouse south building across a courtyard. It is about a 10 minute walk from the west exit of Tsuchiura Station on the JR Joban Line.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Original Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 914-5 and adjacent lots, Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration number 08-0288 |
| Year Designated | Registered on 1 August 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 20 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 Motogura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011053
- 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