What Is the Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2?
The Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 (旧菅野家住宅土蔵二, Kyū Kanno-ke Jūtaku Dozō Ni) is a storehouse built in 1899 in Setamai, Sumita Town, Iwate Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 May 2017. It closes off the eastern end of the Kanno plot, its ridge running east to west, and after the main house it is the largest of the six registered buildings.
It is a Dozo-zukuri storehouse, mostly 2 storeys with a single-storey section, under a tiled roof, with a building area of 99 square metres. It was extended in 1908 and renovated in the mid-Showa period (1946–1965). Of the four registered storehouses it is both the oldest and the biggest.
Two Storehouses Joined into One
The Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 is really two storehouses, one north and one south, joined together and covered by a single Okiyane, a roof set over the earthen bodies. It was registered, as number 03-0095, for its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that as the largest storehouse on the site it recalls the prosperity the Kanno family once enjoyed.
The two halves are built differently. The northern storehouse is 2 storeys, its roof framed in traditional Japanese Wagoya fashion with heavy beams laid across one another. The southern storehouse is a lofty single storey with a ceiling, above which the roof rests on a Western King post truss. The link between them has a floor and an upper storey of its own, tying north and south together.
The Agency database does not say which part dates from 1899 and which from the 1908 extension. What it does record is two different ways of framing a roof, Japanese and Western, side by side under one ridge.
What to Look for at Storehouse No. 2
From outside, look at how tall the walls stand under the roof. The 2-storey northern part and the high single-storey southern part share one roof, yet the walls beneath it are arranged differently. See whether you can spot where, along that long ridge, one building turns into the other.
If you get the chance to go in, compare the roof framing at the two ends. The Japanese beam frame and the triangular truss of post and struts face each other across the upper floor of the link. This one building shows that Western carpentry had reached a Setamai merchant's storehouses by the late Meiji era.
Visiting the Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2
Storehouse No. 2 stands at the far eastern end of the Machiya Setamai-eki grounds. Neither the town nor the facility lists which storehouse interiors are open, and published information does not say which one houses the gallery on the courtyard.
Ask at reception on an opening day whether you can go to the back of the site and look inside, and check on photography at the same time. Opening hours and directions are on the Former Kanno Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 built?
- In 1899. It was extended in 1908, renovated in the mid-Showa period (1946–1965) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 May 2017.
- How is Storehouse No. 2 different from the other Kanno storehouses?
- It is the oldest and, at 99 square metres, the largest of the four registered storehouses. It joins a northern and a southern storehouse under one okiyane roof.
- How is the roof of the Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 framed?
- The 2-storey northern part uses a traditional Japanese beam frame; the tall single-storey southern part uses a king post truss. Both systems sit under one roof.
- Where on the site is the Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2?
- At the eastern end, the point furthest from the street, with its ridge running east to west.
- Can visitors go inside the Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2?
- Published information does not say. Ask at the Machiya Setamai-eki reception on an opening day (closed Wednesdays).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 (旧菅野家住宅土蔵二) |
|---|---|
| Location | 13-1 Setamai-eki, Setamai, Sumita-cho, Kesen-gun, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2017 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse, 2 storeys with a single-storey section, tiled roof; building area 99 square metres |
| Owner | Sumita Town |
| Public Access | Within the Machiya Setamai-eki grounds (closed Wednesdays); ask at reception about the interior |
References
- Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011441
- Former Kanno Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/274732
- Machiya Setamai-eki community facility (Sumita Town, in Japanese)
- https://www.town.sumita.iwate.jp/docs/2016051300011/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
