A Storehouse Built for Horses and Carts
Facing the front of the main house, a long single-storey storehouse runs east to west across roughly 73 square metres. Known as the Meiji-gura, it was built around 1889 and does something most storehouses never attempt: it doubles as a stable. Iron fittings for tethering horses still survive inside.
The building is a dozō, an earthen-walled storehouse, roofed in the gabled kirizuma form with pantiles and given a lean-to, the geya, along its south face. At the western end, a single bay is left open on the south side and fitted with double doors on the north, so that a horse and cart could pass straight through into the grounds.
Why It Was Registered
The Meiji-gura was placed on the national register on 29 November 2016 as part of the six-building Yoshioka group, under registration number 43-0160. As with the others, the ground for registration was the way these buildings sustain the historic character of the local landscape.
A storehouse that carries a working passage for a cart is unusual, and it says a good deal about how a rural estate in a market town actually functioned. Goods moved by horse in late nineteenth-century Kutami, and the building was shaped to let them come and go. Registration keeps that practical logic legible rather than tidying it away.
What to Look For
Look for the change in rhythm at the western bay. Where the rest of the wall is closed and plastered, this bay opens up, and the double doors on the far side mark the old cart route. The iron tethering hardware is the detail that turns an ordinary reading of the building on its head.
The lean-to along the south gives the roofline a stepped profile that sets the Meiji storehouse apart from the taller Edo-gura across the plot. Seen together, the two storehouses and the main house show how the family added buildings across the Meiji decades. The storehouse stands on private ground and is viewed from outside.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kumamoto
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yoshioka Family Residence Meiji Storehouse
- [ Kumamoto Castle & Mt. Aso Volcano Tours ]
Q&A
- What makes the Meiji storehouse unusual?
- It served partly as a stable. One end was arranged as a through-passage for a horse and cart, and iron fittings for tethering horses remain inside.
- When was it built?
- Around 1889. It was added to the national register on 29 November 2016 under number 43-0160.
- What is the lean-to on the south side?
- A geya, a subsidiary roof added along one face of the building to extend shelter. Here it runs the length of the south side.
- Is it open to visitors?
- No. It is part of a private residence and can only be viewed from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Yoshioka Residence, Meiji Storehouse (Yoshioka-ke Jūtaku Meiji-gura) |
|---|---|
| Location | Imakoga, Kutami, Kamoto-machi, Yamaga, Kumamoto |
| Category | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Registered | 29 November 2016 |
| Registration No. | 43-0160 |
| Structure | Earthen-walled storehouse, single storey; tiled roof; building area approx. 73 m² |
| Count | 1 building |
| Owner | Private (individual) |
| Access | Private residence; not generally open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (ACA) — Yoshioka Residence Meiji Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011428
- Yamaga City — List of Designated Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.yamaga.kumamoto.jp/kiji00396/index.html
- Yamaga City — Cultural Properties and Historic Sites
- https://www.city.yamaga.kumamoto.jp/list00191.html
Last verified: 2026.07.04