What the Storehouse Is
The Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse (漆原家住宅土蔵, Urushibara-ke Jūtaku Dozō) in Mitani-cho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, is a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse of the early Meiji era (1868 to 1882) in the northern part of a rural samurai estate, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 27, 2023.
Built in the thick-walled Dozo-zukuri manner under a tiled roof, it has a building area of 68 square meters and a ridge running east to west. It was altered in the late Showa period.
Two Stores Under One Roof
The Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse is register no. 37-0479, listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. What the Agency for Cultural Affairs picks out is how its layout answers to the way the estate was used.
A covered passage divides the front into east and west. The east half is a rice store that opens toward the earth-floored work side of the main house; the west half is a store for utensils and furnishings that opens toward the reception rooms. Rice presumably came in by way of the working half of the household, the tableware and fittings for entertaining by way of the formal half. The house's own split, work area east and reception rooms west, is repeated in the storehouse.
An Upper Floor Built to Breathe
The roof is a gable (Kirizuma-zukuri) in Hongawarabuki. Inside, each floor is divided into two rooms.
Upstairs, the two rooms are linked by windows covered in wire mesh, and the floorboards are laid with narrow gaps between them so that air can pass between the floors as well. For all its heavy walls, the building was designed to keep rice and household goods dry by letting air move through it.
Seeing the Storehouse
The Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse stands toward the north of the grounds, behind the main house, and cannot be seen from the road on the south. The estate is a private home, and neither the grounds nor the storehouse are open.
The north side of the estate is bounded by the earthen wall and moat. A photograph of the storehouse exterior is available in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
Q&A
- What was kept in the Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse?
- Rice in the east half and household utensils in the west half. The rice store opens toward the work side of the main house, the utensil store toward the reception rooms.
- When was the Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse built?
- In the early Meiji era (1868 to 1882). It was altered in the late Showa period.
- How is the upper floor of the Urushibara storehouse ventilated?
- Its two rooms are joined by wire-mesh windows, and the floorboards are laid with gaps between them to let air through.
- When was the Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse registered?
- On February 27, 2023, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property no. 37-0479.
- Can I see the Urushibara storehouse from outside?
- Not from the road on the south, as it stands in the northern part of the grounds. The estate is not open to the public.
Basic Information
| Name | Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse (漆原家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1377-1 Nishimitani-higashi, Mitani-cho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), register no. 37-0479 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 27, 2023 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, building area 68 square meters |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Not open; in the northern part of the grounds and not visible from the road on the south |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014526
- Urushibara Family Residence Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/597680
Last verified: 2026.09.27
