Tondaya Middle Storehouse

A Two-Storey Storehouse at the Heart of the Lot

Tondaya Middle Storehouse (冨田屋中蔵, Tondaya Nakagura) is an early Meiji fireproof earthen storehouse (Dozo-zukuri) in the Nishijin district of Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on 23 August 1999. It is a clay-walled, tile-roofed building of 2 storeys with a building area of 17 square metres, the smallest of the five registered buildings at Tondaya.

It stands midway along the north edge of the property. Kyoto City describes the Tondaya plan as the main house followed by a formal garden, the middle storehouse, another garden and the treasure storehouse, and as its name suggests, the Tondaya Middle Storehouse sits between the Meiji house at the front and the Showa-era treasure storehouse and annex at the back.

No document records when it was built. The Agency for Cultural Affairs believes it dates from the same period as the main house, around 1885.

A Storehouse That Links the House

The Tondaya Middle Storehouse was registered as a model of architectural form, and what sets it apart is less its size than its place in the house.

Its door opens to the east, toward the main house, and a veranda runs around it, connecting it with both the main house and the annex. Standing between the Meiji living quarters and the Showa guest wing, the storehouse is where the two routes through the house meet.

The Plaster Relief Over the Door

Above the entrance is a small Kote-e, a relief modelled in plaster with a trowel, here worked in a geometric pattern. The Agency for Cultural Affairs remarks that, small as it is, the ornament shows real care in design.

The doorway of a storehouse exists to keep fire out, and its heavy surround is built for that job. One patterned panel is enough to give this working storehouse a face. Since the door looks toward the main house rather than the street, the relief was meant for the people of the household, not for passers-by.

Seeing the Middle Storehouse

The Tondaya Middle Storehouse stands deep inside the property and cannot be seen from the street. Once inside on the guided townhouse tour included in Tondaya's reserved experience programs, you have the chance to see it between the main house and the annex. The relief is small, so look slightly up when you face the door.

Whether the interior is opened depends on the guide. Socks are required inside the house. Booking and directions are covered on the Tondaya page.