A storehouse built for bolts of cloth
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse is an earthen-walled storehouse of 1859 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 immediately west of the shop building that fronts Nakajo-dori, the street that carried the old Mito highway, and connects to it through a small antechamber. The building covers 50 square meters, rises 2 stories in Dozo-zukuri earthen-wall construction, and carries a tile roof.
Sodegura, the Japanese word behind the English name, describes a storehouse attached to the flank of a shop or main house like a sleeve. At Daitoku the term recorded more than a position. Because the stock of kimono cloth was kept here, the building was once called the gofukugura, the cloth storehouse. Keeping bolts of silk away from fire was its first duty.
Both gable ends, north and south, carry a double-leaf window at the second floor with a small pent roof above it. The openings admitted light and also served for hoisting goods in and out. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the Shikkui lime plaster of the exterior was originally black. The walls are white today, which makes the earlier appearance hard to picture. When the building went up, this stretch of Nakajo-dori read much darker.
The one building that turns its gable to the street
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse carries registration number 08-0287, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the nation. Four neighbours entered the register the same day: the shop storehouse north building (08-0285), the shop storehouse south building (08-0286), the original storehouse (08-0288) and the facing storehouse (08-0289). All 5 buildings of the former Daitoku premises became Registered Tangible Cultural Property together, and all 5 belong to Tsuchiura City.
What the national commentary singles out about this building is its orientation. Most merchant houses along Nakajo-dori are Hirairi, entered from the long eaves side of the roof, so the street sees a run of horizontal ridgelines. The side storehouse pushes a triangular gable forward instead. The plane of the wall changes direction, and the continuous row of earthen storehouses gains a break in its rhythm.
Tsuchiura City describes Daitoku as the shop and residence of Daikokuya Tokubei, a cloth merchant whose business prospered in the middle of the Edo period. This storehouse sat behind the counter rather than at it. That a service building was judged worth registering says something about how the whole group was assessed: not as architecture to admire in isolation, but as the fabric of a castle-town street.
What to look for at the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse
Cross the street first. Seen from the far pavement, the gable rises as a vertical accent beside the long low roof of the shop building next door. Fix the height of the second-floor window and its pent roof, then walk in close. The thickness of the wall becomes obvious at that range. Layer upon layer of earth was applied to build it up, so the window sits deep in a recess rather than flush with the surface.
Time the visit for raking light if possible. The east gable brightens in the morning, the west wall in the afternoon. Against black plaster the contrast would have been sharper still.
Inside, the junction with the shop building rewards attention. The two structures are not contemporaries. The storehouse dates from 1859 and its neighbour from the closing years of the Edo period after it, so the antechamber between them is a joint between buildings of different ages rather than a single design worked out at once.
Visiting the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse is open to the public as part of Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku, the group of buildings run by Tsuchiura City. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and admission is free. The site closes from 29 December to 3 January. Enquiries go to the Tsuchiura City Tourism Association, whose office sits inside the complex, on 029-824-2810.
The exterior faces Nakajo-dori, a public street, and nothing restricts photography from there. No published notice covers photography indoors, so ask at the counter before raising a camera. Rooms inside are used for information and display, so what is accessible shifts when an exhibit is being changed or a space has been booked.
From the west exit of Tsuchiura Station on the JR Joban Line, Nakajo-dori is about a 10 minute walk. Once on the street, the run of earthen-walled buildings marks the spot. Kijo Park, laid out on the site of Tsuchiura Castle, lies in the same Chuo 1-chome district and keeps the only surviving castle Yaguramon gatehouse in the Kanto region. The merchant quarter and the seat of the domain stand within an easy walk of each other.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse, and what are the hours and admission?
- Yes. It is open as one of the buildings of Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free admission. The site is closed from 29 December to 3 January. Enquiries: Tsuchiura City Tourism Association, 029-824-2810.
- When was the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse built and registered?
- It was built in 1859, in the Ansei era. Registration followed on 1 August 2016 under number 08-0287. The building was repaired in 1998.
- Why was the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse also called the cloth storehouse?
- Because the shop kept its stock of kimono fabric in it. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database records the alternative name gofukugura, meaning cloth storehouse.
- How large is the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse?
- The building area is 50 square meters. It is 2 stories high, built in earthen-wall construction with a tile roof, and each gable end carries a double-leaf window on the upper floor beneath a pent roof.
- How do you get to the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse?
- 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, within the Machikado-kura Daitoku site.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Side Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 914-4 Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration number 08-0287 |
| Year Designated | Registered on 1 August 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 50 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 Sodegura
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011052
- Cultural Heritage Online, Kyu Daitoku Gofukuten Sodegura
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/295169
- Tsuchiura City, Sightseeing and landmarks
- https://www.city.tsuchiura.lg.jp/kanko-bunka-sports/kanko-matsuri-event/kanko/page001097.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