A Storehouse Dressed in Tosa Plaster
The Sawamura Family Residence Storehouse (澤村家住宅蔵) is a plastered storehouse of 1935 in Takaokacho Ko, Tosa City, Kochi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 8, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 26 square metres; registration number 39-0167.
A Two-Storey Storehouse in the Southeast Corner
The storehouse stands in the southeast corner of the plot, its ridge running north to south (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is 2 and a half bays by 2 bays, with a gabled roof of pantiles set over the earthen body in the okiyane manner, a separate roof resting on top of the storehouse walls.
A lean-to roof runs along the west side, and its southern end serves as a small watch room of about 3 mats (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency praises its careful finish, with board cladding held by battens on the lower walls, Tosa lime plaster above and 4 tiers of rain-shedding tile ledges, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the 4 tiers of tile ledges running round the white plaster walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs). These small tiled eaves, typical of rainy Tosa, throw water clear of the walls, and the more tiers a storehouse has, the more care went into it.
Visiting
No official information on interior access was found, and it has not been confirmed whether the storehouse can be seen from the street.
Q&A
- When was the storehouse built?
- In 1935 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where does it stand?
- In the southeast corner of the Sawamura Family Residence plot.
- What should I look for?
- The Tosa lime plaster walls and the 4 tiers of rain-shedding tile ledges.
- What is the small room on the west side?
- A watch room of about 3 mats under the lean-to roof, according to the Agency.
- When was the Sawamura Family Residence Storehouse registered?
- On November 8, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Sawamura Family Residence Storehouse (澤村家住宅蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 506-2 Takaokacho Ko, Tosa City, Kochi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/11/08 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey earthen storehouse, tiled roof, 26 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on public access |
References
- Sawamura Family Residence Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004453
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings) in Kochi Prefecture, Part 1: Cities (Kochi Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/doc/2024031100056/
Last verified: 2026.10.20
