What Is the Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse?
The Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse (仙臺屋旧穀蔵, Sendaiya Kyū-kokugura) is a clay-walled storehouse from the early Meiji period on Chuo-dori in Tono, Iwate Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on July 8, 2008.
A kokugura is a granary, a storehouse for grain, and the word kyū (former) in its name tells you it no longer serves that purpose. Published sources say nothing about what it held or until when. Nor does the Agency for Cultural Affairs give a year of construction, only "early Meiji." It stands behind the store and main house, toward the east side of the Sendaiya lot.
Walls That Thicken Toward the Ground
The feature that sets the Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse apart is its walls. The Agency singles out the way they grow thicker toward the bottom, a distinctive detail it says the building still preserves.
A Japanese storehouse wall is built up from layer upon layer of clay applied over a timber frame. Here the plasterers laid it on more heavily near the ground, so the weight of the clay is carried by a broader base. The result is a building that sits squarely and solidly on its site.
The front storehouse, just across the courtyard, was built the same way. Seen one after the other, the two look like the work of a household that knew how it wanted its storehouses made.
Separate Roof, Stepped Doors, Black-and-White Plaster
The Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse is a two-story Dozo-zukuri building measuring 9.6 m by 5.7 m, with a gabled roof and its entrance in the gable end (Tsumairi). The roof is an Okiyane, built as a separate structure resting above the sealed clay body, a common way of protecting storehouses against rain and fire.
A Hisashi eave shelters the south face, and the entrance has double doors finished in Kakegonuri, where the edges of door and frame are plastered in matching steps so that no gap runs straight through when the doors are closed.
The walls are white Shikkui lime plaster. The Hachimaki, the thick band of plaster under the eaves, and the surrounds of the windows are done in black, which crisps up the gable front.
Why the Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse Was Registered
The Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. As one of the storehouses lined up behind the main house, it gives the Sendaiya compound its depth.
It shares its 9.6 m by 5.7 m dimensions with the former unhulled rice storehouse further back, yet the listed building areas differ, 77 m² here against 55 m² there, and the finishes differ too: thickened walls and black window trim on this one, a namako-kabe tiled base on the other.
Seeing the Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse
The Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse stands inside a private compound behind the main house, and no public opening was announced as of September 2026. From the street it sits behind the main house, so very little of it can be seen from outside. 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 Former Grain Storehouse built?
- In the early Meiji period. The Agency for Cultural Affairs does not give a specific year.
- What is special about the walls of the Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse?
- They grow thicker toward the bottom. The front storehouse in the same compound shares this detail.
- How large is the Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse?
- It is a two-story clay-walled storehouse of 9.6 m by 5.7 m with a building area of 77 m².
- When was the Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On July 8, 2008, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
- Can visitors see the Sendaiya Former Grain Storehouse?
- It is inside a private compound, and no public opening was announced as of September 2026.
Basic Information
| Name | Sendaiya Former Grain 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 77 m², 9.6 m x 5.7 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: 仙臺屋旧穀蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007166
- Cultural Heritage Online: 仙臺屋旧穀蔵
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/142928
- 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
