The Storehouse on the Street
The Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse (今林家住宅米蔵, Imabayashi-ke Jūtaku Komegura) in Yorozumachi, Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a Meiji-era earth-walled storehouse that was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 21 August 2002.
It is 2 storeys, tiled, with a footprint of 25 square metres, and it is the only Imabayashi storehouse that faces the street, standing just east of the main house.
The ridge runs east to west under a gabled roof of interlocking pantiles, and the entrance is at the gable end. A storehouse, but one that takes its place in the street frontage beside the main house and the former shop.
Why It Was Registered: Two Patterns of Tile
The Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse was registered as a structure that would be hard to reproduce, and what the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out is its walls, finished in Namako-kabe.
Namako-kabe means flat tiles fixed to the wall, with the joints between them built up in thick rounded ridges of lime plaster, a finish that sheds rain and resists fire. Here the storehouse uses two patterns. On the long sides the joints cross diagonally in a diamond lattice; on the gable ends they run in a straight square grid. Both survive on the one building.
What to Look For
On the street side a shallow pent roof, half a bay deep, projects at exactly the height of the main house's pent roof, so the eave line runs unbroken from the town house to the storehouse.
The openings change shape between the lower and upper floors. The Agency notes that the two tile patterns and these varied openings together give the rice storehouse its lively exterior.
The other Imabayashi storehouses are mostly plain plaster with a boarded base. Clad in tile, this one looks quite different from its neighbours, which is exactly what makes it worth a second look from the street.
Visiting
Because the Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse faces the street, its exterior can be seen from Yorozumachi at any time. The interior is closed, and it is not among the two buildings the Kyoto owners' association for registered properties lists as open by inquiry (checked 25 September 2026).
From the street, look for the tile joints and the pent roof aligned with the main house. Standing across the road with the main house in view shows how town house and storehouse were designed to read as one front.
It is part of a private home, so keep photography to the public road. Directions to the property are on the Imabayashi Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kyoto
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- [ Kinkakuji Fushimi Inari & Kimono Rental ]
Q&A
- What is the Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- A Meiji-era earth-walled storehouse of 2 storeys with a tiled gabled roof and a footprint of 25 square metres, standing on the street just east of the Imabayashi main house.
- When was the Imabayashi rice storehouse registered?
- On 21 August 2002, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property judged hard to reproduce.
- What is special about the walls of the Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- They are clad in namako-kabe tiles laid in two patterns: a diagonal diamond lattice on the long sides and a square grid on the gable ends.
- Can you see the Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse from the street?
- Yes. It faces Yorozumachi, so the exterior is visible from the public road, though the interior is closed (checked 25 September 2026).
- Why does the Imabayashi rice storehouse's pent roof match the main house?
- Its street-side pent roof is set at the same height as the main house's, so the eave line continues unbroken and the storehouse joins the frontage.
Basic Information
| Name | Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse (今林家住宅米蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 604-1 Yorozumachi, Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/8/21 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earth-walled storehouse, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 25 square metres |
| Owner | Private (owner field blank in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior visible from the street |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Imabayashi Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002946
- Imabayashi Residence (Kyoto Association of Registered Cultural Property Owners)
- https://www.kyoto-tobunkai.org/catalogue/51.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
