Yoshida Sanso (Former Higashifushimi Family Residence) South Storehouse

The Second of Two Storehouses

The Yoshida Sanso (Former Higashifushimi Family Residence) South Storehouse is a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse of around 1932, standing just south of the North Storehouse in the northwest part of the Yoshida Sanso estate in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 13, 2012. It is the southern of the two storehouses at the Higashifushimi family's Kyoto villa.

Like its neighbor, it has its ridge running north to south. It measures 4.9 meters by 3.9 meters, with a building area of 19 square meters, under a Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki tiles. The walls are white Shikkui with a drip ledge at wainscot height, and the base is finished in Araidashi mortar. There is a window on the south side of the upper floor.

The South Storehouse connects to the Main Building through a corridor running from the east side of the North Storehouse. That corridor meets the west side of the house, so both storehouses can be reached from indoors.

Why It Was Registered, and Its Strut-Framed Roof

The South Storehouse at Yoshida Sanso was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Lined up with the North Storehouse west of the Main Building, it forms part of the private rear of the estate.

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, its roof is framed with short struts (tsukadate) set on horizontal beams, the standard Wagoya method of Japanese carpentry. The North Storehouse next door uses sloping rafter-beams instead, so two storehouses that look almost identical outside are built differently inside.

The difference shows at ground level too. The Agency mentions the araidashi base only for the South Storehouse. It is also smaller, 1 meter shorter than the North Storehouse, with a building area of 19 square meters against its neighbor's 23 square meters.

What to Look For

The lower wall of the South Storehouse stacks three layers: white plaster, the drip ledge running around the building, and the araidashi base. Araidashi is made by washing the surface of the mortar before it fully sets so the pebbles stand out, a tough finish where rain splashes up from the ground. Compare it with the base of the North Storehouse.

The upper window faces south, the opposite of the north-facing window on its neighbor. Stand between the two and each storehouse has its window turned away from you, toward the outside of the pair.

Visiting the South Storehouse

The Yoshida Sanso South Storehouse is not open inside. It sits in the northwest of the grounds, west of the Main Building, and is hard to see from the street in front of the Front Gate. Viewing the exterior requires a reservation for a stay, a kaiseki meal or Cafe Shinkokan.

The area around the storehouses may be part of the ryokan's working space, so check with the staff before approaching or taking photographs.