What Is the Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
The Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse (佐藤家住宅味噌蔵, Satō-ke Jūtaku Misogura) is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse 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 on the northeast edge of the grounds, east of the Main House: a long, narrow building about 13.6 metres in length, with a building area of 63 square metres. The roof is gabled with the entrance on the long side, and inside, a partition near the middle divides a miso room from a general store room. The bathhouse and lavatory building abuts its northwest corner.
Sources disagree on the roofing. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives it as tile in the structure field and as sheet iron in the explanatory text. It is worth checking on site which you see.
Why It Was Registered
The registration criterion is that the building serves as a model of design. The Agency draws attention to the care taken over the gable ends, especially the window surrounds and the shape of the bargeboards. Its registration number is 03-0038.
The plan tells its own story. A brewing family gave part of a storehouse over to the household's miso, and the half-and-half division between miso room and store room survives in the layout of the Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse.
What to Look For
The wall finish changes partway up. Below is araidashi, a render washed back to expose the pebbles, rough and granular to the eye. Above is smooth white lime plaster.
Then walk round to a gable end. The window surrounds and the line of the bargeboards have been worked with evident care, and set against the plain long walls they give the building a different face. Take in the 13.6-metre side at an angle first, then turn the corner; the contrast is the point.
Visiting
On opening days of the Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility, the exterior of the Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse can be seen from the grounds free of charge. The operator's website does not describe regular access to the interior, so expect to view it from outside; to ask about going in, contact Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd. (tel. 0191-53-2070) beforehand. 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 Miso Storehouse built?
- In the late Taisho period. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on January 31, 2003.
- What is inside the Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- Two rooms divided near the middle: one for miso, the other for general storage.
- Does the Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse have a tile or iron roof?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs records disagree: the structure field says tile, the explanatory text says sheet iron.
- What should I look at on the Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- The contrast between the pebbly araidashi lower wall and the smooth plaster above, and the carefully shaped windows and bargeboards on the gable ends.
- Can you visit the Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- 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 Miso Storehouse (佐藤家住宅味噌蔵) |
|---|---|
| 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 | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof (sheet iron in the explanatory text), building area 63 square metres, about 13.6 metres long |
| Owner | Ichinoseki City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable free of charge from the grounds on opening days; interior not regularly open |
References
- Sato Family Residence Miso Storehouse, Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003027
- Senmaya Sake no Kura Exchange Facility (Senmaya Machizukuri Co., Ltd.)
- https://sakenokura.com/wp/kura/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
