What Is the Sato Family Residence Former Garage?
The Sato Family Residence Former Garage (佐藤家住宅旧車庫, Satō-ke Jūtaku Kyū-shako) is a single-storey timber garage built in the late Taisho period on the Yokoya Sake Brewery and Sato Family Residence site in Senmaya, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2003.
It stands close to the eastern corner of the grounds, its gable end turned toward the gateway to the southwest. The building area is 70 square metres, and the gabled roof is covered in interlocking pantiles, with the entrance in the gable end. It was built to house a motor car; by the time of registration it served as a store.
Why It Was Registered
The registration criterion is that the building serves as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values the Former Garage for showing how the household lived in its heyday. Its registration number is 03-0035.
In a provincial town of the late Taisho period, few families had a car of their own. A purpose-built garage inside the compound, with a carefully designed front at that, says a good deal about the standing the sake business brought the Sato family.
What to Look For
The front gable is the showpiece: pilasters stand proud of the wall and the bargeboards are shaped into an arch, all finished in araidashi, a render washed back to reveal the pebbles, so the outlines of pilasters and arch read crisply.
Walk round the side and the mood changes. The walls are lime plaster above vertical boarding, and the building looks for all the world like a storehouse. The Sato Family Residence Former Garage is timber-framed, but it wears a Western face on the front and storehouse dress on the other three sides. Stand at a corner where you can see both at once to catch the switch.
Visiting
On opening days of the Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility, the exterior of the Sato Family Residence Former Garage can be seen from the grounds free of charge. The operator's website does not mention access to the interior, so plan on viewing it from outside; to ask about going in, contact Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd. (tel. 0191-53-2070) in advance. Directions, opening days and hours are on the page for the Yokoya Sake Brewery and Sato Family Residence.
Q&A
- When was the Sato Family Residence Former Garage built?
- In the late Taisho period. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 31, 2003.
- What was the Sato Family Residence Former Garage used for?
- It was built as a garage for a motor car and was being used as a store when it was registered.
- What is distinctive about the front of the Sato Family Residence Former Garage?
- Pilasters and arch-shaped bargeboards finished in pebbly araidashi render give it a Western look, while the sides and back are plastered like a storehouse.
- Where is the Sato Family Residence Former Garage?
- Near the eastern corner of the grounds, with its gable end facing the gateway to the southwest.
- Can you visit the Sato Family Residence Former Garage?
- You can see the outside free of charge from the grounds on opening days. The interior is not regularly open.
Basic Information
| Name | Sato Family Residence Former Garage (佐藤家住宅旧車庫) |
|---|---|
| Location | 134 Kitakata, Senmaya, Senmaya-cho, Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2003/1/31 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 70 square metres |
| Owner | Ichinoseki City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable free of charge from the grounds on opening days; interior not regularly open |
References
- Sato Family Residence Former Garage, Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003024
- Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility (Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd.)
- https://sakenokura.com/wp/kura/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
