A Three-Storey Storehouse on a Bending Lane
The Storehouse of Asakichi Ryokan (麻吉旅館土蔵, Asakichi Ryokan Dozo) is a late Edo-period earthen-walled storehouse in Nakanocho, Ise City, Mie Prefecture, dated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to between 1830 and 1867 and entered on the national register of Tangible Cultural Properties on 9 February 2005.
It sits southeast of the inn's Main Building, on the stone-stepped lane that climbs the Furuichi hillside east of the old road between the Outer and Inner Shrines of Ise Jingu.
A dozo is a storehouse built with thick earthen walls over a timber frame, finished in plaster, and designed above all to survive fire. Merchant towns across Japan kept their valuables in them. What sets this one apart is its height: three storeys, partly two, where most dozo stop at two.
The registered structure measures roughly three ken by three ken, something close to 5.5 metres square, under a gabled roof of sangawara pantiles, with a building area of 72 square metres. On the side facing the Main Building it gains a two-storey front annex of about four ken, and a doorway there opens at the level of the Main Building's second floor.
Why the Storehouse Was Registered
Registration came under the criterion "contributes to the historic landscape of the nation," in the 45th round of national registrations. The Storehouse carries registration number 24-0053, one digit after the Main Building, and the gazette notice followed on 28 February 2005.
That phrase about landscape is the key to this particular building. The Agency's description opens by noting that the storehouse follows a bend in the lane, its ridge swung off the line of the neighbouring buildings to match the curve. A storehouse is normally set square to its site. This one was set square to a road that does not run straight.
Furuichi was once counted among Japan's five great licensed quarters, together with Yoshiwara in Edo, Shimabara in Kyoto, Shinmachi in Osaka and Maruyama in Nagasaki. Air raids and postwar rebuilding erased almost all of it, and Asakichi is the surviving fragment. Five of its buildings hold registrations: the Main Building, this Storehouse, the Juenro, the Meigetsu and Sekko rooms, and the Front Storehouse.
Ise City's cultural property listing attributes much of the surviving fabric to a rebuilding in Tenpo 10 (1839), citing volume 7 of the city history, a date that falls inside the range given in the national database.
Reading the Walls
Look at the exterior cladding first. The Agency records it as sasarako shitami itabari: horizontal boarding held in place by vertical battens notched to grip each board's lower edge. The boarding is not decoration. Plaster walls shed rain badly, and in a wet climate a timber skin over the lower storeys buys the earthen core decades of life. The notched battens are the traditional way of fixing it without driving fasteners through the plaster.
Then look at the roof line against its neighbours. Because the ridge is angled to the bending lane, the storehouse never aligns with the Main Building. Walking up the steps, the relationship between the two shifts continuously, and no two vantage points give the same composition.
The doorway on the front annex repays attention as well. It opens at the height of the Main Building's second floor, which is where the kitchen and the family quarters are. Goods went in and out at working level rather than at the ground, which is what the slope allowed and what a level site never would.
The Agency's record notes that the building now serves as the ryokan's own display room, holding material connected with the house and the old quarter. The inn traces its name to the merchant house of Asaya Kichibei, and a Furuichi town map of 1782 already carries the name Asakichi.
Seeing It, and Getting There
The Storehouse belongs to a working inn and is private property. No ticket window exists and no fixed opening hours apply. Its exterior, however, is one of the most visible parts of the whole group, since the lane runs right past it, and photographing from that public ground is unrestricted. Anyone hoping to see the display room inside should ask the ryokan, ideally in advance, and should expect access to depend on how busy the inn is that day.
Staying overnight is the reliable route in. Asakichi Ryokan has six guest rooms across the property, four with bath and toilet, two with toilet, all heated and air conditioned. The two bathing rooms use ordinary heated water rather than a hot spring and are open from 17:00 to 22:00. Check-in runs 16:00 to 21:00, the building is locked at 22:00, and check-out is 10:00. Cash and credit cards are both accepted, smoking indoors is not permitted, and Wi-Fi reaches some rooms.
The site is built on steps, and there are a great many of them. Guests carrying heavy luggage or unsure on stairs should say so when booking so that a room with an easier approach can be arranged.
Buses run from Iseshi Station and Ujiyamada Station toward Urata-cho or Naiku-mae by way of the Furuichi Kaido, stopping at Nakanocho a minute's walk away, but they are not frequent and the timetable is worth checking first. Kintetsu Isuzugawa Station lies about 15 minutes on foot. Taxis from the main stations take roughly 10 minutes, and drivers coming off the Ise-Nishi interchange have 1.2 kilometres to cover, with free parking for guests beside the inn. Mapping apps find the address most reliably when set to Asaka Tsuzura Inari Shrine, the small shrine next door.
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Q&A
- What is the Storehouse of Asakichi Ryokan, and where does it stand?
- It is a late Edo-period earthen-walled storehouse of three storeys, partly two, at 109-3 Nakanocho, Ise City, Mie Prefecture. It stands southeast of the ryokan's Main Building on the stepped lane through the old Furuichi district, and it holds a national registration as a Tangible Cultural Property.
- Can visitors go inside the Storehouse of Asakichi Ryokan?
- The building is used as the ryokan's own display room rather than a public museum, so entry is not open to casual callers. Ask the inn directly, preferably before arriving, and note that staying guests are in the best position to see it. The exterior can be viewed from the lane at any time.
- When was the Storehouse of Asakichi Ryokan registered, and under what number?
- It was registered on 9 February 2005 and gazetted on 28 February 2005, in the 45th round of registrations, under number 24-0053. The criterion applied was that the building contributes to the historic landscape of the nation.
- Why does the Storehouse of Asakichi Ryokan sit at an angle to the other buildings?
- The lane beside it bends as it climbs the hillside, and the storehouse was built with its ridge swung to follow that curve rather than aligned with the Main Building. The result is that the two structures never appear parallel from any point on the steps.
- How do I reach the Storehouse of Asakichi Ryokan by public transport?
- Take a bus from Iseshi Station or Ujiyamada Station bound for Urata-cho or Naiku-mae via the Furuichi Kaido and alight at Nakanocho, one minute away on foot; services are infrequent, so check times in advance. Kintetsu Isuzugawa Station is about a 15-minute walk, and a taxi from either main station takes around 10 minutes.
Basic Information
| Name | Storehouse of Asakichi Ryokan (麻吉旅館土蔵, Asakichi Ryokan Dozo) |
|---|---|
| Location | 109-3 Nakanocho, Ise City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 24-0053 |
| Year Designated | Registered 9 February 2005; gazetted 28 February 2005 (45th round) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled construction, three storeys with a partly two-storey section, tiled roof; building area 72 square metres |
| Owner | Asakichi Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Used as the ryokan's display room; entry by arrangement with the inn. Exterior visible from the public lane. |
References
- National Database of Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Asakichi Ryokan Dozo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004585
- Ise City Official Website: Asakichi Ryokan Honkan (Asakichi Ryokan cultural properties)
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/bunkazai_shiseki/bunkazai/yukei/1005926.html
- Asakichi Ryokan Official Site
- https://sites.google.com/view/asakichiryokan/
- Ise City Tourism Association: Cultural Properties of Ise
- https://ise-kanko.jp/focus/culturalproperty/
- Ise Ryokan Association: Asakichi
- https://iseyado.com/oyadolist/asakichi/
Last verified: 2026.07.31