A Storehouse of 1924
The Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse (島一照下家住宅乾蔵) is a two-storey tool storehouse of 1924 in Noma, Shodoshima Town, Kagawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 9, 2005 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a tiled roof, a short wing wall and a building area of 21 square metres; registration number 37-0240.
The character 乾 (inui) in the Japanese name is an old word for the north-west, which matches the position of the storehouse relative to the main house; no official source explains the name, so the English rendering follows that position.
A Tool Store with Plaster Details
The Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse stands west of the main house and north of the annex, on an east-west axis, presenting its north-west corner to the road (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a two-storey tool store of two and a half by two bays, with a gabled hongawara roof and its entrance in the gable end.
The lower walls are boarded and the upper walls finished in white plaster, while the band under the eaves is done in black plaster. The brackets that carry the small roofs over the high windows bear moulded plaster ornament, and the Agency notes the care taken in its making.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency counts the northwest storehouse, with the annex and the wall at the side entrance, among the buildings that shape the west edge of the property, and registered it as contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
What to Look For
Look at the contrast of white and black plaster: the dark band that tightens the line of the eaves, and the moulded brackets under the window hoods, are the plasterer's work of 1924 to notice. Though only 21 square metres, the storehouse, with its wing wall, holds the north-west corner of the property where it meets the road.
Visiting
The Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse is privately owned and not open. It is described as facing the road with its north-west corner, but how much can be seen from the street has not been confirmed on site (as of November 2026). Please do not enter the grounds.
Q&A
- When was the Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse built?
- In 1924 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Why is the Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse called "northwest"?
- Its Japanese name uses 乾, an old word for the north-west, which matches its position from the main house; no official source explains the name.
- What should I look for at the Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse?
- The white plaster walls with a black plaster band under the eaves, and the plaster ornament on the brackets under the window hoods.
- Can I go inside the Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse?
- It is privately owned, and no public opening had been announced as of November 2026.
- When was the Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse registered?
- On February 9, 2005 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse (島一照下家住宅乾蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1506-1 Nakasuji-ko, Noma, Shodoshima-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/02/09 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, two storeys, tiled roof, building area 21 m², with wing wall |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Private residence; no public opening announced |
References
- Shimaichi Terushita Family Residence Northwest Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004648
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Kagawa Prefecture (Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/kenkyoui/shogaigakushu/bunkazai/culturalassets/culturalassets_16.html
- Modern Industrial Heritage of Hishio no Sato (Shodoshima Town, Japanese)
- https://www.town.shodoshima.lg.jp/gyousei/kakuka/shogaigakushuka/2/1/3151.html
Last verified: 2026.11.12
