At the west end of the row behind the house
The Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse (岩瀬家住宅米蔵, Iwase-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is a plastered storehouse of 2 storeys behind the main house of the Iwase compound in Oyamazaki, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, put up at the end of the Edo period and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010 (Heisei 22).
Construction is Dozo-zukuri: a timber frame packed around with thick earth walls, then finished in white Shikkui lime plaster. The roof is tiled. The building presents 3.6 meters to the front and runs 6.3 meters back, giving a floor area of 47 square meters, which is small on the ground but tall for its footprint.
Its position is the interesting part. A line of outbuildings stands across the rear of the compound, and rather than sitting parallel to each other they splay outward like the ribs of a fan. The Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse occupies the western end of that row. The miso storehouse sits immediately to its east.
An extension was added in the late Meiji period, so the fabric visible today combines late Edo work with a later enlargement.
The reason for the listing
Rice was the commodity a farming household in this position had to keep dry, secure and cool, and a fireproof earthen storehouse was the standard answer. What earns the Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse a listing of its own is not the type, which was common, but that the whole set of storehouses survives in its original arrangement.
Registration came in two rounds. The main house went on the register in 2009 (Heisei 21); 7 further structures followed in 2010, this storehouse among them, together with the household storehouse, the miso storehouse, the front gate, the middle gate, the east gate and the perimeter wall. The compound now carries 8 Registered Tangible Cultural Property listings.
Where a farm has been rebuilt, the storehouses usually go first. Their walls are heavy, their doors are awkward, and they hold nothing a modern household needs. Keeping three of them standing behind a working house is a decision, not an accident, and the register reflects that.
What to look for
The finish is the first thing. The Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse is coated in white lime plaster, laid smooth over the earth wall beneath. Its neighbor, the household storehouse near the southwest corner of the main house, is finished in black plaster instead. Two storehouses on one property, the same construction, opposite colors: the difference marks which building faced the visitor and which did not.
Next, the proportions. A frontage of 3.6 meters is narrow, roughly the width of two rooms, yet the building carries a full upper floor. Storehouses gain capacity by going up rather than out, because every extra square meter of earth wall is expensive.
Then step back and take in the line of the row. The fan arrangement means no two of the rear buildings share a wall plane, so from any single viewpoint their gables step past one another at slight angles.
Visiting the Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse
The compound is a private residence and is not open. There is no admission charge, no visiting hour and no arrangement for entry. Because the Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse stands at the rear of the plot, behind the house and enclosed by the perimeter wall, it cannot be seen from the public road at all.
What a visitor to the site can see is the front gate and the wall along the southern boundary. Photography from the roadway is fine within the usual limits: stay on the road, do not aim into the grounds, do not photograph residents, and do not enter the approach.
Kandatsu Station on the JR Joban Line lies about 3 kilometers to the east, roughly 40 minutes on foot, though the roads are narrow and a taxi is the practical choice. If the buildings are ever opened for a heritage event, the Cultural Properties Section of the Tsuchiura City Board of Education (029-826-1111, extension 5120) is the place to ask.
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Q&A
- Can the Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse be seen by visitors?
- No. It stands at the rear of a private compound behind the main house and the perimeter wall, so it is not visible from the public road and the grounds are closed.
- How is the Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- It is dozo-zukuri, a timber frame encased in thick earthen walls and finished in white lime plaster, with a tiled roof. It has 2 storeys and a floor area of 47 square meters.
- When was the Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse registered?
- In 2010, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The main house had been registered in 2009, and 8 structures on the property are now listed in total.
- How old is the Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- The original fabric dates from the end of the Edo period, and an extension was added in the late Meiji period. The two phases are both part of the registered building.
- Where is the Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse within the compound?
- At the western end of the row of outbuildings that stands behind the main house. The buildings in that row splay outward at slight angles rather than lining up parallel.
Basic Information
| Name | Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 411-1 Michichi, Oyamazaki, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2010 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Frontage 3.6 meters, depth 6.3 meters, floor area 47 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open to the public. Stands at the rear of the grounds and is not visible from outside |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Iwase Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008089
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Cultural Properties of Ibaraki: Iwase Family Residence Main House and seven other buildings
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6043/
- Tsuchiura City: Cultural property explanatory panels and Cultural Properties Section contact
- https://www.city.tsuchiura.lg.jp/kanko-bunka-sports/rekishi-bunkazai-maizobunkazai/page013918.html
Last verified: 2026.09.05