About the Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse
The Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse (旧三浦家住宅蔵, Kyū Miura-ke Jūtaku Kura) is a two-story reinforced concrete storehouse of the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) in Aokicho, Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture, entered on the register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 25, 2016. It stands against the north side of the black-plastered shop, and its white walls make a pair with the shop's black ones.
With a building area of 23 square meters it is the smallest of the four Miura buildings. The Susaki Machikado Gallery gives the plan as 4.535 by 3.55 meters. The gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) runs north to south, and the entrance is on one of the long sides, the arrangement called Hirairi.
Why It Was Registered
The Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse was registered as a structure "not easily reproduced". The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to a reinforced concrete shell carrying a timber truss roof frame, metal doors at the entrance and on the east windows, and walls finished in Tosa-shikkui, and calls the result an unusual piece of building.
A traditional Japanese kura has thick walls of packed earth and plaster over a timber frame. Here the walls are concrete. The outside, though, is finished in the local Tosa lime plaster and the roof is laid with ordinary pantiles, so a new structural material sits under an old finish in a single small building.
The gallery notes that an iron safe from the family's time still stands on the ground floor. For a household that dealt in paper and also in finance, a fireproof store and a safe sat right behind the counter.
What to Look For
Right-hand tiles east, left-hand tiles west
The sangawara roof of the Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse uses right-hand tiles on the east slope and left-hand tiles on the west. The two types overlap in opposite directions, and the ridge is where they change. The main house next door splits its tiles in the same way, a roofing habit of Tosa's windy coast carried over to the storehouse.
The blank north wall
Apart from the openings, every wall is finished in Tosa plaster. The north face is one unbroken plaster surface from the ground floor to the second.
Iron doors and a small canopy
The entrance has iron double doors on the outside, and the east windows close with metal shutters. A small canopy projects over the ground floor on the west side.
Visiting
The Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse is sometimes used as an exhibition space by the Susaki Machikado Gallery. Whether you can go inside, and whether the iron safe is on view, depends on the current show, so ask at reception (checked September 27, 2026).
From outside, the best detail is the join where the black shop wall meets the white wall of the Miura Storehouse. On the roof, watch for the overlap of the tiles reversing at the ridge between the east and west slopes. Ask at reception about photography. Opening hours and directions are on the Former Miura Family Residence page.
Q&A
- How is the Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse built?
- It is a two-story reinforced concrete building with a timber truss roof frame and a gabled pantile roof. The walls are finished in Tosa lime plaster.
- When was the Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Taisho era, 1912 to 1926.
- What is inside the Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse?
- According to the gallery, an iron safe from the family's time remains on the ground floor. The building is also used for exhibitions from time to time.
- Why is the Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered as a structure not easily reproduced, for its unusual combination of reinforced concrete, a timber truss roof, metal doors and Tosa plaster walls.
- Can I go inside the Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse?
- It depends on the exhibitions at the Susaki Machikado Gallery. Ask at reception during opening hours.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse (旧三浦家住宅蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7-1 Aokicho, Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 39-0286 |
| Year Designated | Registered February 25, 2016 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-story reinforced concrete, tile roof, building area 23 square meters |
| Owner | Susaki City |
| Public Access | Open during some exhibitions (Susaki Machikado Gallery) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Miura Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011006
- Former Miura House (Susaki Machikado Gallery, in Japanese)
- https://machikado-gallery.com/miuratei/
Last verified: 2026.09.27
