A Stone Vault for Raw Silk
The Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse (旧山長織物会社石蔵) is a storehouse for raw silk of 1910 in Daishoji Banbacho, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 18, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a 2-storey building of stone over a timber frame, with a tile roof and a building area of 64 square metres; registration number 17-0067.
Local Tuff over a Timber Frame
The Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse stands east of the office, right beside the road along the old Daishoji River, its ridge running north to south (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is 4 bays by 3, 2 storeys high, under a gabled roof of Echizen tiles.
The walls are built of local tuff laid over a timber frame, and the building was used to store the raw silk the company wove into cloth. A lean-to a bay and a half deep runs the full length of the west side, sheltering a working area in front of the door, the Kuramae.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce: the timber-framed construction faced with local tuff is the heart of its value.
The museum that now occupies the site confirms that the storehouse once held the company's raw silk. The fittings show how seriously that costly material was protected against fire and theft.
What to Look For
The entrance has a pair of double doors made like the door of a safe, and the windows have iron shutters (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Look closely at the thickness of the doors and at how tightly they close.
Follow the joints in the stonework and you can see how the cut blocks of tuff are set out along the hidden timber frame. From the road the gable end and Echizen tiles make a clean contrast with the hipped roof of the office next door.
Visiting
The ground floor of the Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse is the museum's main exhibition room, showing belongings of the writer Fukata Kyuya, and is included in museum admission (museum). The upper floor is a storeroom and is not open.
You pass the safe-like doors on your way in and out of the exhibition room. The museum's published information does not say whether photography is allowed, so ask at the reception desk.
Q&A
- What was the Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse used for?
- It stored the raw silk used by the weaving company (Agency for Cultural Affairs; museum).
- How is the Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse built?
- It is a 2-storey building of local tuff over a timber frame, with a gabled roof of Echizen tiles (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can I go inside the Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse?
- Yes, the ground floor is the museum's exhibition room; the upper floor is a closed storeroom (museum).
- What should I look for at the Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse?
- The safe-like double doors at the entrance and the iron window shutters (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse registered?
- On March 18, 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse (旧山長織物会社石蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 18-2 Daishoji Banbacho, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/03/18 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber-framed stone, 2 storeys, tile roof, building area 64 m² |
| Owner | Kaga City |
| Public Access | Ground floor open as the museum exhibition room (admission charged); upper floor closed |
References
- Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003227
- Former Yamacho Textile Company Stone Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/116307
- Facilities (Fukata Kyuya Mountain Culture Museum, Japanese)
- https://yamanobunkakan.com/?page_id=90
- Visitor information (Fukata Kyuya Mountain Culture Museum, Japanese)
- https://yamanobunkakan.com/?page_id=77
Last verified: 2026.11.09
