A Tool Store Behind the Retirement House
The Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse (山吉山本家住宅土蔵, Yamayoshi Yamamoto-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a 2-storey earth-walled Dozo-zukuri storehouse built in 1908 in Umaki, Shōdoshima-chō, Kagawa Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 9, 2005, under number 37-0255. It is built against the north face of the toilet wing attached to the detached annex.
It is small: 2 and a half by 2 bays, or Ken, with a registered building area of 20 square metres, the smallest of the residence's buildings. The ridge runs north to south under a gabled roof laid in Sangawara-buki pantiles. The entrance is on a long side, the Hirairi arrangement, near the north end of the east wall, sheltered by a small canopy.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a dōgugura, a store for tools and household equipment rather than for rice or heirlooms.
Why It Was Registered
The Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The official description notes its closed form, with very few openings, and counts it as one of the elements that make up the estate.
On its own it would be an unremarkable little building. Its interest is its position. It backs onto the retirement annex, and immediately north of it stands the Yamayoshi Soy Sauce moromi storehouse. A single tool store sits exactly where the domestic compound gives way to the brewery, and it is one of the links in the sequence that runs from main house to annex to storehouse to brewing hall.
It shares its 1908 date with the guardhouse and the annex. A gate, a retirement house and a tool store completed in the same year gave the residential side of the property its finished shape.
What to Look For: White Plaster over Boarding
The lower walls are clad in vertical boards, and above them the walls are coated in white Shikkui lime plaster. The boarding protects the vulnerable base of the earth wall from splashback, ground damp and knocks from tools being carried in and out. The plaster above is what gives a storehouse its resistance to fire.
The guardhouse on the same property is finished in black plaster. The gate at the front is black; the store at the back is white. The colour of each building tracks its role and where it stands in the compound.
Notice, too, how few openings there are. As the official text says, this is a closed building: an almost unbroken plaster skin, with access concentrated at the single doorway under the canopy. For keeping tools dry and safe from fire, fewer holes are better, and the 2-storey height on such a small footprint gives the storehouse a compact, upright look.
Visiting
The Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse stands at the very back of the residence, north of the annex, and is difficult to see from outside the grounds. We found no interior opening or visitor arrangement.
Stay off the property and view the estate from the public road. The brewery buildings just north of the storehouse are a working production site, now used by another soy maker.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse?
- We found no public opening, and the grounds are private. Because it stands at the back of the compound, it is also hard to see from outside.
- What was kept in the Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies it as a tool store, used for household and working equipment. It has a closed design with very few openings.
- When was the Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse built, and how big is it?
- It was built in 1908. It is a 2-storey earth-walled storehouse of 2 and a half by 2 bays, with a building area of 20 square metres.
- When was the Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse registered?
- On February 9, 2005, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, number 37-0255, together with the main house, guardhouse, annex and wall.
- Where does the Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse stand on the property?
- Against the north face of the annex's toilet wing. The Yamayoshi Soy Sauce moromi storehouse lies just to the north, so it marks the boundary between home and brewery.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse (山吉山本家住宅土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | Ko 710, Imasaka, Umaki, Shōdoshima-chō, Shōzu District, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/2/9 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2 and a half by 2 bays; building area 20 square metres; 2-storey earth-walled storehouse |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | No public opening announced; exterior from outside the grounds |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yamayoshi Yamamoto Family Residence Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004663
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Yamayoshi Soy Sauce Moromi Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004666
- Shokin Shoyu Co., Ltd.: Company Profile (Japanese)
- https://shokinshoyu.jp/company/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
