What the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3 Is
The Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3 is an earthen-walled storehouse of 1892 in the Kawasaki district of Ise City, Mie Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 August 2001. Its building area is 41 square metres, and it takes the westernmost position among the three storehouses facing the main house across the street.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as another former sake store, standing roughly parallel to South Storehouse 2 on its west side, and Ise City describes it the same way. The museum's own building guide dates it to the later Meiji period, so the sources vary in how precisely they place it.
Why It Was Listed
The criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of the nation. The Agency for Cultural Affairs writes that the row of three storehouses along the Seta River conveys the history of a town that prospered on river traffic, and the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3 closes that row at its western end.
It has a Kirizuma-zukuri gable in Hongawarabuki tiles, with walls of blackened weatherboard matching its neighbour. Given that both are dated to 1892, the two were most likely planned and built as one piece of work.
What to Look For
The canopy on the north gable end is shared with South Storehouse 2, and that is the clearest thing to notice here. Standing between the two, one canopy covers both doorways. They were raised as separate buildings, but the shelter from rain was made in one piece.
The length along the ridge nearly matches its neighbour, but the span across is smaller. The difference of building area, 41 square metres against a larger neighbour, comes from width rather than length. From the front the two look much the same; from the side the depths differ. The passage between them is where that reads.
Visiting
Shops occupy the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3, so the interior is accessible during trading hours. Shop hours do not always match the museum's own, which is worth checking if shopping is the point of the visit.
Seeing the shared canopy means stepping into the passage beside South Storehouse 2. From outside the pair reads as one building, and only from the passage does the division become clear. From the opposite bank of the Seta the three backs line up, with this one closing the western end. Photography depends on the shop.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3 built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives 1892. The museum's own building guide places it in the later Meiji period, so the sources differ in precision.
- How does it differ from South Storehouse 2?
- The length along the ridge is about the same but the span across is smaller, giving a building area of 41 square metres. The two share a canopy on the north gable end.
- What was the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3 used for?
- Both the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Ise City record it as a sake store. It is now let to shops.
- Can visitors enter the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3?
- Yes, during shop trading hours, which do not always coincide with museum opening times.
- Where is it on the site?
- At the western end of the three storehouses that face the main house across the street, with its back to the Seta River.
Basic Information
| Name | Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum South Storehouse 3 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-25-32 Kawasaki, Ise City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 28 August 2001 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled construction; building area 41 square metres |
| Owner | Ise City |
| Public Access | Open as one of the museum's shop storehouses (adult admission 350 yen; closed Tuesdays) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: 伊勢河崎商人館南蔵三
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002263
- Ise City cultural property page: 伊勢河崎商人館南蔵三
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/bunkazai_shiseki/bunkazai/yukei/1005918.html
- Ise City: Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum, outline and management
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/shisetsu/syouninkan/1005012.html
- Ise City: Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum facility guide
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/shisetsu/syouninkan/index.html
Last verified: 2026.09.14
