What the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse Is
The Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse (塚本家住宅土蔵, Tsukamoto-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a storehouse of 2 stories built in 1908 in the Makabe district of Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 8, 2004 under registration number 08-0153.
It occupies the eastern corner of the compound where the plot meets Kamijuku-dori. The construction is Dozo-zukuri, the technique of building thick earthen walls over a timber frame and sealing them under plaster. The roof is Kirizuma-zukuri with Sangawara-buki tiles and a ridge running north to south, and the building covers 80 m². White Shikkui plaster covers the walls, with a raised band called a hachimaki circling the building beneath the eaves.
The working face is the west side, where a Geya lean-to roof shelters the entrance. Goods went in and out from within the compound, which leaves the gable end as the side presented to the street. A single small window opens in the upper part of that gable wall.
A Town Rebuilt After Fire
Makabe merchants turned to storehouse construction after the great fire of 1837. Until then the town was roofed largely in thatch and board. Afterwards the local administrative office was retiled, and merchant families began putting up misegura, shops given storehouse walls, along with dozo for storing goods and household property. Construction of both reached its peak during the Meiji era.
The date of the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse, 1908, falls squarely within that peak. Thick earthen walls and a tiled roof were defences against fire spreading from a neighbouring building, and the bright white plaster that resulted has largely set the colour of the streets in Makabe ever since.
The registration criterion applied to this building is the one for structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country. The official description places it alongside the misegura and the gate as an element of the Kamijuku-dori streetscape. Three other structures on the same plot were registered on the same day: the misegura (08-0151), the main house (08-0152) and the gate (08-0154).
Recognition of the wider townscape followed. On June 29, 2010, roughly 17.6 hectares of Makabe were selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, the 87th in Japan and the first in Ibaraki Prefecture.
The Gable Wall and Its Single Window
What repays attention here is the orientation. Because the ridge runs north to south, the side facing Kamijuku-dori is the gable end, and the first thing a passer-by receives is a triangle of white wall with one small opening near its centre. There is almost nothing else to look at, and that is the point.
Storehouse windows are small for reasons of function rather than style. Every opening is a place where fire can enter, so windows were cut down to the minimum that would admit light and air. On a wall with virtually no ornament, the position and size of that one window carry the whole composition.
The west face works differently. A lean-to roof runs over the entrance so that goods could be moved in and out under cover, while the street face stays shut. A practical decision about handling cargo produced the difference in appearance.
In front of the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse runs a black board fence, and beyond it to the west stand the gate and then the misegura, their eaves in a continuous line. White plaster, black boards and grey tile alternate along this short stretch of road.
The traditional buildings of Makabe suffered badly in the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Damage here was among the worst of any preservation district in the country, affecting more than 90 percent of the traditional structures there, and repair work continued for years afterwards. The line of white walls a visitor sees today is the result of that restoration.
Visiting the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse
The building is privately owned and the interior is closed. Because it stands directly on the street, though, it is the one structure of the 4 on this plot that can be examined from close range. Viewing costs nothing and there are no opening hours to work around.
Photography from the public road is unrestricted. Aiming a camera over the fence or through the gate is best avoided, since this remains part of a family home.
The occasion when interiors along the street sometimes open is the Makabe Hina Matsuri, held each year from early February until March 3. More than 100 houses and shops set out displays of hina dolls and admission is free. The most recent edition ran from February 4 to March 3, 2026. How much any household opens varies by house and by year, so check the Sakuragawa Tourism Association listings before you travel.
Drivers reach Makabe in about 20 minutes from the Sakuragawa-Chikusei interchange on the Kita-Kanto Expressway, or about 50 minutes from the Tsuchiura-kita interchange by way of Route 125 and Prefectural Route 41. The Makabe Takajomachi car park (279-1 Makabe, Makabe-cho) has room for 65 cars, and its 4 large-vehicle spaces require advance booking through the Sakuragawa city urban development section. Without a car, the quickest approach is a taxi from Iwase Station on the JR Mito Line, roughly 20 minutes. From Tsukuba Station on the Tsukuba Express, a Tsukuba city bus runs about 50 minutes to Tsukubasanguchi, where a Sakuragawa city bus toward the Iwase government building covers the last 20 minutes. Certain streets near the venue are closed to traffic on some days of the doll festival.
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Q&A
- Can you go inside the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse?
- No, the building is privately owned and its interior is closed. It stands right on Kamijuku-dori, however, so the exterior can be seen at close range from the street at any time, free of charge.
- When was the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse built and when was it registered?
- It was built in 1908, during the Meiji era. It was entered on the national register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on November 8, 2004, under registration number 08-0153.
- Why is the window on the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse so small?
- A storehouse exists to protect goods from fire, and every opening is a weak point through which flames can enter. Windows were therefore reduced to the minimum needed for light and ventilation, which is why the gable wall facing the street carries just one small opening on its upper floor.
- How do you reach the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse, and is there parking?
- By car, allow about 20 minutes from the Sakuragawa-Chikusei interchange. By rail, take a taxi from Iwase Station for roughly 20 minutes, or travel from Tsukuba Station in about 70 minutes with one bus change at Tsukubasanguchi. Parking for 65 cars is available at the Makabe Takajomachi car park.
- What else should be seen together with the Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse?
- The misegura, the gate and the main house on the same plot were all registered on the same day in 2004. Along the street they run west to east as misegura, gate, black board fence and then the storehouse, with the main house set back behind the misegura. Taking in all 4 at once shows how a merchant compound in Makabe was put together.
Basic Information
| Name | Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse (塚本家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 60 Makabe, Makabe-cho, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration number 08-0153 |
| Year Designated | Registered on November 8, 2004 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 80 m² |
| Owner | Private individual (name not disclosed) |
| Public Access | Interior closed, exterior viewable from Kamijuku-dori |
References
- Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse, National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004323
- Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse, Cultural Heritage Online
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/184233
- Tsukamoto Family Residence Storehouse, Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6367/
- Tsukamoto Family Residence Gate, Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6370/
- Makabe Preservation District: the 1837 fire, the spread of storehouses, and earthquake damage, Sakuragawa City
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/education/bunkazai/city_bunkazai/kuni_bunkazai/page003423.html
- The Makabe Townscape: location, access and parking, Sakuragawa City
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/tourism_guide/learn/page000455.html
- Makabe Preservation District, Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-8557/
- Makabe Hina Matsuri dates, Ibaraki Tourism Association
- https://www.ibarakiguide.jp/event.php?mode=detail&code=1074
Last verified: 2026.09.07