What the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1 Is
The Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1 is an earthen-walled storehouse assigned to the Tempo era, between 1830 and 1843, in the Kawasaki district of Ise City, Mie Prefecture. It was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 August 2001. The building area is 31 square metres, and it stands north of the annex at the deepest point of the plot.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs treats it as evidence of how a pre-modern merchant compound was laid out. Only three of the 12 listed buildings here go back to the Edo period, and two of those are inner storehouses set behind the dwelling.
Why It Was Listed
The criterion is value as a model of design. The Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1 is described as roughly 3.5 Ken along the ridge and 2.5 ken across, and the fact that its dimensions are still quoted in traditional units is itself a marker of its age. It has 2 storeys, a north to south gable in Hongawarabuki tiles, an entrance on the west face and walls of blackened weatherboard.
Sources disagree about what it held. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says everyday household goods; the Ise City cultural property page says books and valuables. Either way it was a store for the household rather than for trade goods.
What to Look For
The door of this storehouse faces west, while Inner Storehouse 2 opens to the south. Seeing the two in succession shows that orientation on a merchant plot was a decision, not a default, and the direction of a storehouse door is a clue to where the paths through the compound once ran.
The roof is heavy tile over a north to south ridge, matching its neighbour, and the walls are blackened board. Unlike Inner Storehouse 2, whose ridge beam carries a date, the age of the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1 is an estimate spanning about a decade. Ise City records its present use as a store.
Visiting
The interior is in use as a store and is not open, so viewing is from the outside. The building sits at the back of the site: walk north through the courtyard and round the north side of the annex, and the whole elevation comes into view.
The weatherboarding and the framing around the west entrance are what reward a close look. Ise City publishes a virtual tour of the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum with 3D panoramas, which helps fill in the buildings that cannot be entered on the day. Ask at reception about photography.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1
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Q&A
- How old is the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1?
- It is assigned to the Tempo era, 1830 to 1843. Unlike its neighbour, whose ridge beam is dated in ink, this estimate spans about a decade.
- What was stored in the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1?
- The sources differ. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says everyday household goods; Ise City says books and valuables. Both agree it served the household rather than the trade.
- Can visitors enter this storehouse?
- No. It is used as a store and the interior is closed, so viewing is limited to the exterior.
- How is the Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1 built?
- Earthen-walled construction of 31 square metres, about 3.5 ken by 2.5 ken, with 2 storeys, a north to south tiled gable, a west entrance and blackened weatherboarded walls.
- Where is it on the site?
- North of the annex, at the furthest point from the street of any building in the compound.
Basic Information
| Name | Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum Inner Storehouse 1 |
|---|---|
| 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 31 square metres |
| Owner | Ise City |
| Public Access | Exterior only; interior closed (Ise Kawasaki Merchant Museum, adult admission 350 yen; closed Tuesdays) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: 伊勢河崎商人館内蔵一
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00002266
- Ise City cultural property page: 伊勢河崎商人館内蔵一
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/bunkazai_shiseki/bunkazai/yukei/1005921.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
