About the brick storehouse
The Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse is a late Meiji-period brick storehouse attached to the north side of the Hamada Family Residence Store at Otsu 1564-3, Nahari-cho, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on January 31, 2003.
In Japanese it is 濱田家住宅煉瓦蔵 (Hamada-ke Jūtaku renga-gura). It is registration No. 39-0072, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. In a town known for white Tosa-plaster storehouses, this one shows red brick.
Why it was registered
The brick storehouse is 2 stories high, 8.5 meters long and 4 meters wide, with a building area of 34 square meters. It has a timber frame clad on the outside in brick laid in Stretcher bond (stretcher bond), with only the long faces of the bricks showing. A Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles runs east to west.
Its door is on the long side (Hirairi) and opens from the store to the north, which serves as the Kuramae, the work space in front of the storehouse. The storehouse is reached directly from the shop. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes how sharply it stands out against the Mizukiri-gawara tiles and Tosa-shikkui plaster of the earthen storehouses around it.
What to look for: a curved stair and Western railings
Inside the Hamada Family Residence brick storehouse, toward the east end, a staircase winds up in a half circle, and a Western-style railing runs around the upper floor. Brick outside, a Japanese tiled hip roof above and a Western railing within: the mix shows a Meiji merchant family taking up new designs.
From outside, what you can see are the brick walls and the hipped roof. In stretcher bond the joints run in clean horizontal lines, unlike bonds that alternate the direction of the bricks course by course. Look at how the red-brown walls read among the white plastered storehouses of the town.
Visiting
The Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse is privately owned and its interior is not open. The curved stair and railings are known only from the Agency's description.
The storehouse adjoins the north side of the store and is entered from the shop. We could not confirm how much of the brick walls can be seen from the street. When you view the store from the junction, walk round to the north and look for the brick walls and roof.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse built and registered?
- It is a late Meiji-period brick storehouse, registered on January 31, 2003.
- How is the Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse built?
- A 2-story timber frame clad in stretcher-bond brick under a pantiled hip roof, 8.5 meters long and 4 meters wide, with a building area of 34 square meters.
- How do you enter the Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse?
- Its door is on the long side and opens from the store to the north, which serves as the work space in front of the storehouse.
- What is inside the Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse?
- A half-circle winding staircase toward the east end and a Western-style railing around the upper floor. The interior is not open to visitors.
- Can I visit the Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse?
- The interior is not open. You can only view the exterior from the street, and we could not confirm how much is visible.
Basic Information
| Name | Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1564-3 Otsu, Nahari-cho, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered January 31, 2003 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-story brick structure, tiled roof, building area 34 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed (blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (exterior visible from the street) |
References
- Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs database, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003168
- Hamada Family Residence Brick Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/138938
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) in Kochi Prefecture (Kochi Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
Last verified: 2026.10.16
