What Is the Gotokuan Warehouse?
The Gotokuan Warehouse (五徳庵倉庫, Gotoku-an Soko) is a two-story wooden storehouse built in 1949 in Daishoji Nishikicho, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on February 9, 2005. It is the youngest of the four registered structures at Gotokuan, built in the years just after the Second World War.
It stands south of the main house at the east end of the plot's road frontage, with its ridge running east to west. The building area is 33 square meters.
Clapboard Walls and a Tiled Gable
The Gotokuan Warehouse has a Kirizuma-zukuri gable roof in Sangawara-buki tiles and outer walls of Shitami-itabari, overlapping horizontal boards of the kind long used against the rain and snow of the Hokuriku coast.
Its doorway is on the north side, facing into the compound rather than the street. Windows open on the west wall at both floors, looking toward the neighboring gate. With the ridge running east to west, the road sees the long eave side and a plain face of boards.
Joined to the Main House
A lean-to roof, or Geya, wraps the north and east sides of the Gotokuan Warehouse and carries on to the main house. This is not a freestanding storehouse but an outbuilding tied to the house under one continuous roof line.
With its door also facing the main house, it was most likely used hand in hand with the household, a place for the tools and goods of daily life.
Why the Gotokuan Warehouse Was Registered
The Gotokuan Warehouse was registered, as number 17-0125, under the criterion for structures that contribute to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sees it as one of the elements that, together with the gate, make up the layout of the residence.
The point is not age. It is the street front. The gate and the warehouse were built nearly a century apart, yet from the road they read as a single face of the house.
Seeing the Gotokuan Warehouse
Because it stands on the road, the Gotokuan Warehouse is, with the gate, the easiest of the four structures to see. We could find no official information on interior viewing.
From in front of the gate, the warehouse's west wall lies just to the east, where the windows of both floors can be picked out. Please photograph only from the public road. Directions to the compound are on the Gotokuan page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Ishikawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Gotokuan Warehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Gotokuan Warehouse built?
- In 1949. It is the newest of the four registered structures at Gotokuan.
- How is the Gotokuan Warehouse built?
- It is a two-story wooden building with a tiled gable roof and clapboard walls, with a building area of 33 square meters.
- Is the Gotokuan Warehouse connected to the main house?
- Yes. A lean-to roof runs around its north and east sides and joins the main house, and its doorway faces the main house on the north.
- Can the Gotokuan Warehouse be seen from the street?
- Yes. It stands at the east end of the plot's road frontage, so the exterior is visible from the road. No official information on interior viewing could be found.
- When was the Gotokuan Warehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On February 9, 2005, the same day as the main house, gate and annex. Its registration number is 17-0125.
Basic Information
| Name | Gotokuan Warehouse (五徳庵倉庫) |
|---|---|
| Location | 52-1 Daishoji Nishikicho, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2005 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 33 m² (two-story wooden building, tiled roof) |
| Owner | NPO Rekimachi Center Daishoji |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (exterior from the road) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Gotokuan Warehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004535
- Kaga City: Nationally Registered Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kaga.ishikawa.jp/ed/bunka_shinko/6066.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29
