What Is the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse?
The Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse (旧安倍家住宅土蔵, Kyū Abe-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse on Hidaka-kōji in Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture, built in the late Meiji era (1898 to 1912) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 June 2022.
Built in the Dozo-zukuri manner with a sheet-metal roof, it has a building area of 70 square meters, roughly 4 times the 18 square meters of the estate's wooden storehouse. It stands east of the main house. It went up a generation or so after the main house and the wooden storehouse, making it the third oldest of the five registered buildings on the Abe estate.
Why the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse Is Registered
The Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse is Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 03-0116, registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits it with shaping the northeast part of the estate.
What makes the Abe storehouse worth a look is that it was dressed up rather than simply built to hold goods. A family crest and Kote-e plaster relief decorate the exterior, and the finish of its walls and gable shows how much care a Mizusawa household put into a storehouse in the late Meiji years.
What to Look For at the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse
A Floating Roof and Namako Walls
The Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse has a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof in sheet metal, built as an Okiyane. In this method a separate roof frame is set on top of the sealed earthen body, leaving a layer of air between roof and walls.
The outer walls are Namako-kabe: flat tiles fixed to the surface with the joints built up in rounded ridges of lime plaster, so a white grid covers the wall. The elevation drawing in the Oshu City Board of Education's guide sheet shows the same grid pattern.
Crest and Plaster Relief on the North Gable
The door is on the north side, under a small sheet-metal Hisashi canopy. The north gable above it carries the family crest, and at the lower ends of the bargeboards a plasterer has modelled decorative motifs in kote-e, relief built up in plaster with a trowel. The Agency for Cultural Affairs picks out this gable as the part where the design effort is concentrated.
Inside, the ground and upper floors are each a single open room. The national database also includes a photograph of the roof space on the door side.
Visiting the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse
The Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse stands inside the grounds, east of the main house. To see the crest and plaster relief on the north gable, enter on a visit booked with Oshu City and walk round to the north side. The exterior photograph in the national database was taken from the northeast, and from there you can take in the north gable and the namako side wall together.
The city's listing does not say whether the interior is shown, so ask when you book. Directions and visiting conditions for the whole estate are on the Former Abe Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse built?
- The national database dates it to the late Meiji era (1898 to 1912), later than the main house and the wooden storehouse.
- What are the walls of the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse like?
- They are namako walls, faced with flat tiles whose joints are raised in lime plaster, which gives the surface a white grid pattern.
- Where is the plaster relief on the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse?
- At the lower ends of the bargeboards on the north gable, which also displays the family crest.
- When did the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 29 June 2022, as registration number 03-0116, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- How can I see the Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse?
- It stands inside the grounds, so book a visit with Oshu City, held on weekdays from 20 March to 15 November and free of charge. Ask when booking whether the interior is open.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Abe Family Residence Storehouse (旧安倍家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 21 Hidakakoji, Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), Registration No. 03-0116 |
| Year Designated | Registered 29 June 2022 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, sheet-metal roof, building area 70 square meters |
| Owner | Oshu City |
| Public Access | Open by reservation (weekdays, 20 March to 15 November, free) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 旧安倍家住宅土蔵 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014222
- Guide sheet: Former Abe Family Residence, Modern Japanese-Style Architecture (Oshu City Board of Education, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/material/files/group/79/54753_182573_misc.pdf
- Former Abe Family Residence (Oshu City official website, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/kanko/osusume/4/3/889.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
