About the Former Miura Family Residence Shop
The Former Miura Family Residence Shop (旧三浦家住宅店舗, Kyū Miura-ke Jūtaku Tenpo) is a two-story Dozo-zukuri shop building of the mid-Meiji era (1883 to 1897) in Aokicho, Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture, entered on the register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 25, 2016. It stands at the southeast corner of the Miura property, where streets meet on the east and south, and is the oldest of the six registered structures.
The hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri) runs east to west and is covered in sangawara pantiles. The building area is 60 square meters; the Susaki Machikado Gallery gives the plan as 8.67 by 6.925 meters. The walls sit on a stone-faced base and are coated above it in black Shikkui lime plaster.
This is the building from which Miura Shoten traded paper and forest products.
Why It Was Registered
The Miura Shop was registered as a structure "not easily reproduced". The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the eaves projected in three tiers, the stone-faced base and the black plastered walls, and calls it a building of high quality and weight. What earned it a place on the register was the workmanship itself, more than its part in the streetscape.
The black comes from soot mixed into the plaster. The gallery says pine-soot plaster was burnished to a mirror-like black finish. Dozo-zukuri, with its thick packed-earth and plaster walls, was how merchants protected stock and ledgers from fire. Plaster of this kind is normally left white; turning it black and polishing it to a shine adds a great deal of plasterer's labor.
The gallery points out how unusual the contrast is between the black Former Miura Family Residence Shop and the white storehouse attached to its north side, and treats the shop as the building that defines the intersection and anchors the whole property.
What to Look For
Eaves in three tiers
In Degeta-zukuri, arms projecting from the posts carry an outer beam so that the eaves can reach far out from the wall. At the Former Miura Family Residence Shop the eaves are stepped out in three tiers and sealed in heavy plaster. The gallery compares the high, layered eaves running around all four sides to the parapet of a castle wall. From the far corner of the intersection you can see each tier cast its own band of shadow.
Two entrances
There are two doors on the ground floor, a main entrance in the middle of the south front and a side entrance on the east. Customers could come in from either street, which suits a shop on a corner.
The coffered office
The ground floor is an office with a high coffered ceiling. The gallery describes the ceiling as lacquered and reads it as a sign of a wealthy merchant. Susaki City's note about traces of a securities firm refers to this office. Upstairs are a tatami room with a tokonoma alcove and a board-floored room.
Visiting
The ground-floor office of the Former Miura Family Residence Shop is used for exhibitions and events at the Susaki Machikado Gallery. How far you can go, including upstairs, depends on the current exhibition and on rental bookings, so ask at reception (checked September 27, 2026).
The exterior can be seen by anyone from the street. To take in both the stepped eaves and the black walls at once, look at the south and east faces diagonally from the opposite corner of the intersection. Walk around to the north and the white storehouse meets the black shop close up. We found no general notice on photography, so follow the reception staff inside. Opening hours and directions are on the Former Miura Family Residence page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Miura Family Residence Shop built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Meiji era, 1883 to 1897. Susaki City and the gallery describe the house as "said to have been built around 1916", so sources differ.
- Why are the walls of the Former Miura Family Residence Shop black?
- They are finished in black lime plaster made with pine soot. The gallery says it was burnished to a mirror-like surface.
- Can I go inside the Former Miura Family Residence Shop?
- The ground-floor office is used for exhibitions and events at the Susaki Machikado Gallery. How much you can enter depends on the exhibition and rental bookings, so ask at reception.
- Why is the Former Miura Family Residence Shop a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered as a structure not easily reproduced, for its eaves stepped out in three tiers, its stone-faced base and its black plastered walls.
- Where is the best view of the Former Miura Family Residence Shop?
- From the opposite corner of the intersection, looking at the south and east faces together. The north side shows the contrast with the white storehouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Miura Family Residence Shop (旧三浦家住宅店舗) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7-1 Aokicho, Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 39-0284 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 25, 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-story dozo-zukuri, tile roof, building area 60 square meters |
| Owner | Susaki City |
| Public Access | Open (Susaki Machikado Gallery); accessible rooms depend on exhibitions |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Miura Family Residence Shop (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011004
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011006
- Machikado Gallery (Susaki City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.susaki.lg.jp/life/detail.php?hdnKey=152
- Former Miura House (Susaki Machikado Gallery, in Japanese)
- https://machikado-gallery.com/miuratei/
Last verified: 2026.09.27
