The Smallest Storehouse
The Former Ueno Family Residence East Storehouse (旧上野家住宅東蔵, Kyū Ueno-ke Jūtaku Higashigura) is a two-storey earthen storehouse behind the main house of the Ueno family compound in Saihoji, Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, built in the late Edo period (1751–1829) and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 3, 2006.
The Ueno east storehouse measures 2 Ken by 2 ken, with a building area of 17 square metres, the smallest of the compound's three storehouses. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building under a tiled gabled roof running east to west, with the middle storehouse standing right beside it to the west.
Why the East Storehouse Was Registered
The Former Ueno Family Residence East Storehouse was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape. The national description stresses that it forms that landscape together with the middle storehouse: side by side behind the main house, the two make a row of storehouses at the back of the compound.
Small as it is, it is solidly built, raised on a base of cut stone that keeps damp and runoff away from the clay walls.
What to Look For
The entrance faces south on the long side of the building, parallel to the ridge, an arrangement called Hirairi. A window above the door lights and ventilates the upper floor.
The walls are finished in a clay intermediate coat, and a thick band of plaster, the hachimaki, runs around the top of the walls under the eaves. It is there to stop fire creeping in at the eaves, and it shows as a heavy horizontal line when you look up.
A canopy projects over the front to keep rain off the door. The middle storehouse has the same canopy, and seen together the two show different-sized storehouses built to the same rules.
Visiting the East Storehouse
The Former Ueno Family Residence East Storehouse can be seen from outside by walking round behind the main house. The interior is not regularly open. Local tourism listings mention exhibitions held in the storehouses, so if one is on, ask the facility which storehouse is being used.
No published rule on photography turned up, but photographing the exterior is unlikely to be a problem. Opening hours and directions are covered on the Former Ueno Family Residence page.
Q&A
- Can you visit the Ueno East Storehouse, and is there a fee?
- Yes. The Ueno East Storehouse stands inside the compound, which is open free of charge from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on opening days and closed on Wednesdays and over the New Year holidays.
- When was the Former Ueno Family Residence East Storehouse built?
- The national database dates it to the late Edo period (1751–1829).
- How large is the Ueno East Storehouse?
- It is a two-storey clay-walled storehouse 2 ken by 2 ken, with a building area of 17 square metres, the smallest of the three storehouses in the compound.
- What is the thick band under the eaves of the Ueno East Storehouse?
- It is the hachimaki, a thickened band of plaster that helps keep fire from entering at the eaves.
- Is the Former Ueno Family Residence East Storehouse an Important Cultural Property?
- No. The Former Ueno Family Residence East Storehouse is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, registered on August 3, 2006, on the same day as the other seven structures in the compound.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Ueno Family Residence East Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 285 Saihoji, Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/08/03 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey clay-walled, tiled roof; 2 ken by 2 ken; building area 17 square metres |
| Owner | Maizuru City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable free of charge 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on opening days (closed Wednesdays and New Year holidays); interior not regularly open |
References
- Former Ueno Family Residence East Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs database, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005630
- Maizuru City Basic Concept for History and Culture, Ch. 2 (2-3): list of designated and registered properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.maizuru.kyoto.jp/kyouiku/cmsfiles/contents/0000004/4317/2-2.2_2019013109530129.pdf
- Ordinance on the Kasa Area Ōjōya Ueno-ke Facility (Maizuru City bylaws, Japanese)
- https://www.city.maizuru.kyoto.jp/html/reiki_int/reiki_honbun/k104RG00000789.html
- Kasa Area Ōjōya Ueno-ke (Maizuru City official website, Japanese)
- https://www.city.maizuru.kyoto.jp/kankou/0000010433.html
- Ōjōya Ueno-ke (Maizuru tourism association, Japanese)
- https://maizuru-kanko.net/archives/sightseeing/686
Last verified: 2026.09.25
