What Is the Sendaiya Front Storehouse?
The Sendaiya Front Storehouse (仙臺屋前の蔵, Sendaiya Mae-no-kura) is an 1888 clay-walled storehouse on Chuo-dori in Tono, Iwate Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on July 8, 2008.
Mae no kura simply means "the front storehouse." Of the storehouses lined up behind the Sendaiya main house, this one stands closest to it, just north of the house across an inner courtyard, and that position most likely gave it its name. It is also the smallest of the three, with a building area of 45 m².
A Storehouse That Faces the House
The Sendaiya Front Storehouse measures 8.6 m by 4.8 m. It is a two-story Dozo-zukuri building with a gabled roof, entered from the gable end (Tsumairi), and topped by an Okiyane, a roof set as a separate structure over the clay body.
All of its openings are on the south side: the entrance below and a window above. The entrance has double doors finished in Kakegonuri, stepped plasterwork that seals the joint between door and frame. South is the courtyard side, so the storehouse turns its face toward the main house rather than away from it. Anyone in the house could see its doorway across the courtyard, which would have made daily comings and goings easy to keep an eye on.
The Most Black of the Three
The walls of the Sendaiya Front Storehouse are white Shikkui plaster, with black plaster on the Hachimaki band under the eaves, around the door and window openings, and along the koshi, the lower section of the wall.
Every storehouse at Sendaiya pairs white walls with black trim, but each uses the black differently. The former grain storehouse keeps it to the eaves band and window surrounds, and the former unhulled rice storehouse gives its base a Namako-kabe tile pattern instead. Only the front storehouse wraps black plaster all the way around its base, making it the darkest and most tightly composed of the three.
Like the former grain storehouse, it also has walls that grow thicker toward the ground. The black base and the heavier lower wall work together, giving a small building a firmly planted look.
Why the Sendaiya Front Storehouse Was Registered
The Sendaiya Front Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Standing just behind the main house and framing the courtyard, it links the shop at the front with the storehouses further back.
Its date of 1888 is the earliest among the Sendaiya storehouses that have a known year. It went up six years after the main house was finished, right behind it.
Seeing the Sendaiya Front Storehouse
The Sendaiya Front Storehouse faces a courtyard inside a private compound, and no public opening was announced as of September 2026. Because it stands directly behind the main house, it is almost invisible from the street. There is no official guidance on photography; please respect the residents' privacy. Directions to the compound are on the Sendaiya page.
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Q&A
- When was the Sendaiya Front Storehouse built?
- In 1888.
- Where is the Sendaiya Front Storehouse located within the compound?
- Directly north of the store and main house, across an inner courtyard. Its entrance and upper window open to the south, toward the courtyard.
- What does the Sendaiya Front Storehouse look like?
- White lime-plaster walls with black plaster on the eaves band, the openings and the lower wall. Its walls thicken toward the ground, like those of the former grain storehouse.
- When was the Sendaiya Front Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On July 8, 2008, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
- Can visitors see the Sendaiya Front Storehouse?
- It is inside a private compound, and no public opening was announced as of September 2026.
Basic Information
| Name | Sendaiya Front Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 501-3 Chuo-dori, Tono City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2008 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 45 m², 8.6 m x 4.8 m (2-story dozo-zukuri) |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (inside a private compound) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 仙臺屋前の蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007167
- Cultural Heritage Online: 仙臺屋前の蔵
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/198159
- Tono City: Protection of Cultural Properties (list of designated and registered properties)
- https://www.city.tono.iwate.jp/index.cfm/48,14077,303,html
Last verified: 2026.09.30
