Former Onogi Family Residence West Storehouse

About the Former Onogi Family Residence West Storehouse

The Former Onogi Family Residence West Storehouse (旧大野木家住宅西蔵, Kyū Ōnogi-ke Jūtaku Nishigura) is a 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse of 1939 standing just west of the east storehouse on the Onogi estate in Takehana Donomae-cho, Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on July 25, 2011. Its lot number is 5-1.

The storehouse has an east-west ridge and a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof. It measures 5.0 by 4.0 meters, with a building area of 27 square meters, making it the largest of the 4 storehouses on the estate.

Why It Was Registered: The Only Round-Tile Roof in the Row

The Former Onogi Family Residence West Storehouse is roofed in Hongawarabuki, the heavy system of alternating round and flat tiles used on temples and castles. The other three storehouses on the estate all use lighter Sangawara-buki pantiles; only this one has round tiles. The main roof of the main house is also round-tiled, which suggests the Onogi west storehouse was given a higher rank than its neighbors.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs also notes that its ridge is set at a different height from that of the east storehouse. The two buildings share the same orientation, but the step between their ridges keeps the roofline from looking flat and repetitive. The registration criterion is that the building contributes to the historic landscape of the country.

Highlights: Boards Below, Plaster Above

Outside, the Former Onogi Family Residence West Storehouse follows the same pattern as the other storehouses. A pantiled eave on the south side shelters a pair of Kakegonuri doors with stepped, interlocking edges, and above them is a small hooded window. The outer walls have Koshiita boarding at the base and lime plaster above.

What sets the building apart is that the official description records its interior. The ground floor is lined with vertical boards and the upper floor is finished in lime plaster. Boards stand up to the knocks of daily loading and unloading, while plaster helps keep humidity steady for goods stored upstairs.

Between the Onogi west storehouse and the east storehouse sits the small Goma hall. With three buildings pressed shoulder to shoulder, this is one of the most tightly packed corners of the estate.

Visiting the Former Onogi Family Residence West Storehouse

The Former Onogi Family Residence West Storehouse stands toward the west of the grounds, northwest of the main house. The wedding and restaurant business at the Former Onogi Family Residence ended at the end of September 2024, and the grounds are now closed, so the doorway on the south face cannot be seen up close.

The interior is not open. Access and viewing conditions for the whole estate are covered on the Former Onogi Family Residence page.