A Tile-Roofed Family Storehouse South of the Garden
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse (長井家住宅（梅屋）南蔵, minami-gura) is a late Edo-period earthen storehouse in Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Mie Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on June 24, 2021. It faces the Main House across the main garden and held the family's household goods.
It is a two-story storehouse of thick clay walls (Dozo-zukuri) with a building area of 60 square meters. Its gabled roof is laid in hongawara, the heavy alternating round and flat tiles (Hongawarabuki), and it is the only one of the compound's three storehouses roofed this way. At the north gable end is an entrance porch (Tomae) under a lighter pantile roof, fitted with glazed sliding doors; the storehouse doorway itself has double doors of white plaster (Shikkui).
Why It Was Registered
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it the key element of the view from the south. The council's report describes the three storehouses together as a weighty group dating back to the early modern period, plastered up to the eaves band and fitted with lean-to roofs.
From the Main House, the South Storehouse closes the far side of the garden. Around 1931 the Connecting Corridor was run to its entrance porch, drawing this late Edo building into the Showa-era garden layout.
What to Look For
Watch how the wall surface changes from top to bottom. A band of white plaster (hachimaki) wraps the top under the eaves, the upper wall is clad in vertical boards, and the lower wall in overlapping horizontal clapboards (Shitami-itabari) held by closely spaced battens, a variant called sasarako shitami. Three textures stack up on a single wall.
The roof framing uses inclined rafters (noboribari) rising to carry the ridge, a sensible choice under heavy hongawara tiles. The glazed doors of the porch look like a later adaptation, and the contrast between the porch's light pantiles and the main roof's heavy tiles is worth noting.
Visiting
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse is not open inside. Although it is described as shaping the view from the south, where on that side it can be seen from outside the property has not been confirmed. The north porch is inside the main garden and cannot be seen from the road.
See the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) page for viewing conditions across the estate and directions.
Q&A
- When was the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse built?
- In the late Edo period.
- What is special about the roof of the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse?
- It is a gabled roof of heavy hongawara tiles, the only one among the compound's three storehouses. The north entrance porch has a lighter pantile roof.
- What was the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse used for?
- It stored the family's household goods.
- Can you see inside the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse?
- No. The interior is closed, and its north entrance porch lies within the main garden, out of sight from outside.
- How large is the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse?
- It is a two-story earthen storehouse with a building area of 60 square meters.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 2495-1 Yobisaki, Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Kitamuro-gun, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/6/24 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse (dozo-zukuri), 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 60 square meters |
| Owner | Not published (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no interior opening announced) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) South Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013816
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report on new registrations, March 19, 2021 (Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93206101_04.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.26
