The Eirakukan Storehouse Beside the South Building
The Eirakukan Storehouse (栄楽館土蔵, Eirakukan Dozo) is a 2-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse at the southeast corner of the South Building of Eirakukan, a former ryotei restaurant in Ueno Aioicho, Iga City, Mie Prefecture; built in 1873 and renovated in 1994, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014. It has a tiled roof and a building area of 24 square meters, the smallest of the four registered structures.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Eirakukan Storehouse as standing with its ridge running north to south, with its entrance on the west side fitted with a Tsuchido, a heavy plastered door. It is a utility building beside the restaurant's reception rooms, yet the description dwells on its decoration and calls it a storehouse that conveys how prosperous the business once was.
Registration and the "Linked Drums" Wall of the Eirakukan Storehouse
The Eirakukan Storehouse is registration number 24-0175, listed as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country, on the same day as the South Building, the East Building, and the gate and wall.
The feature the national description points to is the lower part of the west wall, around the entrance. It is finished in Shikkui lime plaster in a manner resembling Namako-kabe, the familiar storehouse wall of square tiles set in raised white joints. Locally this finish is called tsuzumi-tsunagi, literally "linked drums." The description calls it only "namako-like," so how exactly it differs from ordinary namako-kabe is something to check with your own eyes.
The hotel's site also presents tsuzumi-tsunagi as a design rare anywhere in Japan and particular to this area. Putting the local finish on the west face, the side with the door, suggests the storehouse was dressed to be seen by guests.
What to Look For: The Name on the Eirakukan Storehouse Roof
Look up, too, at the Onigawara, the ornamental end tile on the roof ridge. According to the national description, it bears the characters 栄楽 (Eiraku), the restaurant's trade name. Among the four national descriptions of Eirakukan, this is the only one that mentions the house name.
For a storehouse of only 24 square meters, the Eirakukan Storehouse gathers a good deal of careful work around its front: the plastered door, the linked-drums plaster on the lower wall and the name-bearing ridge tile. That is why the description calls it elegantly decorated.
Seeing the Eirakukan Storehouse
The Eirakukan Storehouse is now Room 103 in the KANMURI wing of NIPPONIA HOTEL Iga Ueno Jokamachi. The hotel describes the room as a former storehouse divided into two levels, with tsuzumi-tsunagi namako plaster at the entrance, which matches the national description.
There is no public opening, and only guests staying in Room 103 go inside the Eirakukan Storehouse. Because it sits at the back of the lot, beside the southeast corner of the South Building, expect it to be hard to see from the street. Booking Room 103 is the sure way to see the plaster wall and the ridge tile. Directions and accommodation details are on the Eirakukan page.
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Q&A
- When was the Eirakukan Storehouse built and registered?
- The national database dates it to 1873, with a renovation in 1994. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 25, 2014, under number 24-0175.
- What is tsuzumi-tsunagi on the Eirakukan Storehouse?
- It is the local name for the namako-like lime plaster finish on the lower part of the west wall. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as distinctive to this area.
- What is written on the Eirakukan Storehouse ridge tile?
- The characters 栄楽 (Eiraku), the restaurant's trade name.
- How is the Eirakukan Storehouse used today?
- It has been converted into Room 103, a two-level guest room in the KANMURI wing of NIPPONIA HOTEL Iga Ueno Jokamachi.
- Can I visit the Eirakukan Storehouse?
- There is no public opening. Only guests in Room 103 go inside, and its position at the back of the lot makes it hard to see from the street.
Basic Information
| Name | Eirakukan Storehouse (栄楽館土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2842 Ueno Aioicho, Iga City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered April 25, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, tiled roof, building area 24 square meters |
| Owner | Iga City |
| Public Access | In use as a hotel guest room; not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Eirakukan Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009985
- NIPPONIA HOTEL Iga Ueno Jokamachi official site: KANMURI
- https://www.kazenoheritage.jp/hotels/iga-ueno/rooms/kanmuri/
Last verified: 2026.10.10
