A three-story strongroom with a signature
North of the main house stands the bunkogura, a document storehouse running east to west, entered from a kura-mae zashiki at the northwest corner of the main house. It is a three-story earthen-walled building finished in black plaster (kuro-shikkui), about three and a half ken by two and a half, gabled and roofed in pantile, with a footprint of about 29 square meters.
Windows open on the east at the second and third floors, and three tiers of water-shedding ledges (mizukiri) step down the west face.
Who built it, and when
Registered in July 2004 (number 08-0138) as not easily reproduced, the bunkogura carries an ink inscription on its ridge beam (jimune) that fixes both the date of construction and the names of the craftsmen: the master carpenter Hirohara Bunjiro and the plasterer Yamaguchi Tomonosuke.
A record naming the very hands that raised a building is uncommon, and it dates this one to 1894 (Meiji 27).
Black plaster and three floors
A three-story kura is itself unusual. Clad in glossy black plaster and stepped with water ledges, this one was built to keep documents and valuables safe from fire and damp.
The inked beam turns what might be an anonymous storehouse into a dated, signed work, and the black finish sets it apart from the white-plastered storehouses across the yard.
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Questions and Answers
- What is the bunkogura?
- A document storehouse, used to keep records and valuables safe from fire and damp.
- How many floors does it have?
- Three, which is unusual for a storehouse of this kind.
- When was it built, and by whom?
- In 1894 (Meiji 27); an ink inscription on the ridge beam names the carpenter Hirohara Bunjiro and the plasterer Yamaguchi Tomonosuke.
- What is the black finish?
- Black plaster (kuro-shikkui), a glossy lime finish that sets it apart from the white-plastered storehouses nearby.
- What are the ledges on the west wall?
- Three tiers of mizukiri, projecting ledges that shed rainwater away from the wall.
Basic Information
| Name | Fuchu Homare Bunkogura (Document Storehouse) |
|---|---|
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Registration No. | 08-0138 |
| Registered | 23 July 2004 (gazetted 17 August 2004) |
| Period | Meiji 27 (1894) |
| Structure | Three-story earthen-walled (dozo), black plaster; pantile roof |
| Floor area | approx. 29 sqm |
| Number | 1 building |
| Owner | Fuchu Homare Co., Ltd. |
| Location | 5-9-32 Kokufu, Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Visiting | Working brewery; visits by prior inquiry |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Database of Designated Cultural Properties
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004205
- Fuchu Homare Co., Ltd. (official site)
- https://www.huchuhomare.com/
Last verified: 2026.06.25