The Masubuchi Hiroichi Family Storehouse: A Kura in the Makabe Compound
The Masubuchi Hiroichi family residence in Makabe is recorded through two structures: the front gate on the street, and a storehouse set back within the lot. The storehouse, or kura, stands toward the east side of the southern part of the property, its ridge running east to west.
This is a dozo storehouse, built with thick earthen walls finished in plaster, the fireproof construction that gives Makabe so much of its look. It dates from the early Showa era, measures three and a half ken along the ridge by two ken in depth, and rises two stories under a gabled pantile roof, with a building area of about 23 square meters.
Why It Is a Registered Cultural Property
The storehouse was registered as a national tangible cultural property on July 12, 2005, and announced on August 2 that year, with registration number 08-0189. It shares its registration with the family's front gate, and the same criterion applies: contribution to the historical landscape of the nation.
Storehouses like this one were the strongboxes of a merchant or landholding household, built to keep goods and valuables safe from fire. In Makabe, where a fire in 1837 reshaped how people built, the surviving kura are among the clearest records of that priority. This one preserves part of the earlier arrangement of the Masubuchi Hiroichi compound.
What to Look For
The building is entered from the long side, a plan known as hirairi, with the doorway set at the center of the north face. Inside, the ground floor is divided into two rooms, a practical split for keeping different goods apart.
The detail worth seeking out sits high on the east gable of the second floor: a window fitted with double-leaf hinged fire shutters, called kannonbiraki for the way they open like the doors of a Buddhist altar. Heavy and plaster-faced, these shutters could be sealed to keep flames out, the working heart of what makes a kura fireproof.
The storehouse belongs to a private residence and is not open to the public. Set back from the street, it is glimpsed rather than displayed, part of the depth behind the visible frontages of the town.
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Q&A
- What is a kura or dozo storehouse?
- It is a fireproof storage building with thick earthen walls finished in plaster, used to protect goods and valuables. The style is central to the Makabe townscape.
- What are kannonbiraki fire shutters?
- They are double-leaf hinged shutters that open outward like a pair of doors. On this storehouse a set protects a second-floor window on the east gable, sealing the opening against fire.
- Is this the same family as the shop at 396?
- No. This storehouse and the front gate belong to the Masubuchi Hiroichi family at 412 Makabe, a separate household from the Masubuchi family at 396.
- Can I visit it?
- No. It stands within a private residence and is not open to the public. It can be seen only partly, set back within the lot.
Basic Information
| Name | Masubuchi Hiroichi Family Residence Storehouse (Masubuchi Hiroichi-ke Jutaku Dozo) |
|---|---|
| Location | 412 Makabe, Makabe-machi, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (registration no. 08-0189) |
| Registered | July 12, 2005 (announced August 2, 2005) |
| Count | 1 building |
| Date | Early Showa era |
| Structure | Two-story dozo construction, tiled roof, building area about 23 square meters |
| Access | Within the Makabe Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings; set back within a private lot. Interior not open to the public. |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties — Masubuchi Hiroichi Family Residence Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004704
- Sakuragawa City — Makabe Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/education/bunkazai/city_bunkazai/kuni_bunkazai/page003423.html
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education — Sakuragawa Makabe Preservation District
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-8557/
Last verified: 2026.07.02