Reception rooms inside a fireproof shell
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building is an early Meiji period building of between 1868 and 1882 in Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, added to the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on 1 August 2016. It abuts the south side of the shop building that faces Nakajo-dori, the former Mito highway. At 134 square meters it is the largest of the 5 buildings on the site. Construction is Dozo-zukuri earthen wall, 2 stories, under a tile roof.
The east elevation is finished in the manner of a storehouse. The roof above it, however, is Yosemune-zukuri, hipped on all 4 sides, and so departs from the straight gables of its neighbours. From the ground the building reads as a storehouse; from the roofline it does not. That contradiction is the point.
The interior is given over to Zashiki reception rooms. The ground floor holds an 8-mat and a 6-mat room opening into each other, and the upper floor another suite of 3. Rooms floored in Tatami sit one above the other, leaving almost nothing that could be stacked with goods. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the building with a fully formed shoin reception room and with combining fire resistance and a refined interior finish.
Walls against fire, rooms for guests
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building carries registration number 08-0286 and was listed for its 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 side storehouse (08-0287), the original storehouse (08-0288) and the facing storehouse (08-0289). Tsuchiura City is the owner.
For a merchant family, fire was the thing that could erase stock and ledgers in a single night. The castle town of Tsuchiura burned in a great fire of the Tempo era, and the streets of earthen-walled buildings that followed are the record of that lesson. Thick mud walls were an investment against a repeat.
What makes this building worth a second look is what was placed inside that investment. A Shoin-zukuri room, with its alcove and staggered shelves, exists to receive guests, and it is made of the timber and paper that fire consumes first. The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building wrapped those fragile rooms in a storehouse skin. A merchant household that had more than merchandise to protect left its priorities in the plan and section of this building.
What to look for at the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building
Start with the roof. Four hipped planes fall away from a short ridge, and nothing else in the group does that. Walk Nakajo-dori tracking rooflines alone and this is the one that breaks the pattern.
On the ground floor, picture the sliding partitions between the 8-mat and 6-mat rooms lifted out. Rooms in series exist so that 2 can be worked as 1. The size of a gathering, or the season, decided how much of the floor was opened up on any given day.
If the upper floor is accessible, walk the run of 3 rooms. Ceilings sit lower than below and the light arrives differently. The windows belong to a storehouse, small and deep. Standing on tatami and still feeling the thickness of the wall is the sensation this building gives that no other on the site does.
Visiting the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building
The Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building is one of the buildings Tsuchiura City opens as Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku. Hours are 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, whose office is on the premises, on 029-824-2810.
The upper floor of this building holds a multipurpose room and a tatami room that can be booked. On days with an event or a private booking the reception rooms may be closed, so anyone coming for the interior should telephone ahead to check availability. Photography indoors is not covered by any published notice; ask at the counter.
Nakajo-dori is about a 10 minute walk from the west exit of Tsuchiura Station on the JR Joban Line. Enter through the lattice door of the north building and continue inward to reach this one. Kijo Park in the same Chuo 1-chome district occupies the site of Tsuchiura Castle and keeps the only surviving castle Yaguramon gatehouse in the Kanto region. Seeing the seat of the domain and a merchant's reception rooms in one walk makes the social layers of a castle town easier to read.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building, and what are the hours and admission?
- Yes. It is open as part of Tsuchiura Machikado-kura Daitoku, from 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.
- What rooms are inside the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building?
- Reception rooms. The ground floor has an 8-mat and a 6-mat room in series and the upper floor a suite of 3 rooms, including a fully formed shoin room. The building area is 134 square meters, the largest of the 5 buildings.
- When was the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building built and registered?
- It dates from the early Meiji period, between 1868 and 1882, and was registered on 1 August 2016 under number 08-0286. Repairs were carried out in 1998.
- Why does the roof of the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building differ from the other storehouses?
- Because it is hipped rather than gabled. The east wall is treated like a storehouse, but the building was designed around reception rooms, and its roof takes a different form from the gable ends of its neighbours.
- Is the upper floor of the Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building always open?
- No. The multipurpose room and tatami room upstairs are available for hire, so they are sometimes closed to visitors. Call the Tsuchiura City Tourism Association in advance if the interior matters to your visit.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Daitoku Kimono Shop Storehouse South Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 914-4 Chuo 1-chome, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration number 08-0286 |
| Year Designated | Registered on 1 August 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 134 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 Misegura Minamito
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011051
- 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