A Meiji Shop on a Corner
The Nishioka Kimono Store (西岡呉服店店舗, Nishioka Gofukuten Tenpo) is a shop building of about 1887, two storeys with a single-storey section, standing on a corner plot near the centre of Yasuda, Yasuda Town, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 October 2007. At 107 square metres it is the largest of the five registered parts of the Nishioka Family Residence.
The Nishioka Kimono Store measures 7 bays across and 4.5 bays deep under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, and it faces east. It carries registration number 39-0216, the first in the run that continues with the four Nishioka house items behind it (39-0217 to 39-0220).
Why It Was Registered: Shop, Store and Workroom in One
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the ground floor of the Nishioka Kimono Store is the sales floor, part beaten-earth floor and part raised tatami. Above it is a low Tsushi-nikai mezzanine used for storage, and above that a full upper floor served as a workroom. Selling, storing and working were stacked one above another inside a single building.
Public records do not say what work was done upstairs. The Nishioka Kimono Store was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape: a Meiji shopfront on a corner at the heart of the town.
Boards and Plaster on the Gable
Because the Nishioka Kimono Store stands on a corner, its side gable is on view from the street as well as its front. That gable is what the official description points to: vertical Tateita-bari boarding and a Shikkui lime plaster finish, dark timber and white plaster side by side, an exterior that still reads as a Meiji shop.
The mix of two-storey and single-storey sections also shows from the corner, where the roofline drops partway along the building.
Visiting
We could not confirm if the Nishioka Kimono Store still trades as a shop, and we found no notice that the interior can be visited. The practical choice is to view the building from the road.
On its corner, the east front and the side gable can both be seen without entering the property. If you stop to look, choose a spot where you will not block traffic.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kochi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nishioka Kimono Store
- [ Katsurahama Beach & Kochi Castle Ryoma Tour ]
Q&A
- When was the Nishioka Kimono Store built and registered?
- The national record dates it to about 1887. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 October 2007.
- How was the Nishioka Kimono Store used inside?
- The ground floor was the sales floor, with earthen and tatami areas; a low mezzanine above it held stock, and the upper floor was a workroom.
- How is the Nishioka Kimono Store related to the Nishioka Family Residence?
- They share a lot number and registration date, and their registration numbers run in sequence. The name suggests the same family, but we found no public source describing the connection.
- What should I look for on the Nishioka Kimono Store?
- The side gable, with vertical boarding and lime plaster, and the change in roof height between the two-storey and single-storey sections.
- Can I visit the Nishioka Kimono Store?
- There is no notice of interior visits. Its front and side gable can be seen from the road because it stands on a corner.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishioka Kimono Store (西岡呉服店店舗) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1807 Yasuda, Yasuda-cho, Aki-gun, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/10/2 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey timber with 1-storey section, tiled roof, building area 107 square metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | No notice of interior visits (exterior from the road only) |
References
- 西岡呉服店店舗 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006348
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), Kochi Prefecture
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2023062200186/
Last verified: 2026.09.28
