Three Metres Square, and on the Register
The Front Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence (中森家住宅前蔵, Nakamorike Jūtaku Maegura) stands at Uenogenbamachi in the city of Iga, Mie Prefecture, was built in the late Edo period, and was entered on Japan's register of Tangible Cultural Properties on 19 December 2014.
It measures three metres by three metres. The recorded building area is 9.1 square metres, which is smaller than many bedrooms, and it is the least imposing of the six registered structures on this plot. It is also the one you will look at longest, because it sits at the south-east corner of the property, directly on the street.
The construction is dozō: a timber frame packed with layered earth and finished in plaster, single storey, its ridge running north to south under a gabled pantile roof. The doorway is at the centre of the west face, sheltered by a small canopy. Board cladding rises to waist height on the outer walls, and above that the surface changes to plastered earth and sheet iron.
Why a Small Building Earns Protection
Japan's registration system, introduced in 1996, was designed for exactly this kind of building. Designation as an Important Cultural Property demands outstanding individual value and imposes heavy obligations on the owner. Registration asks a lighter question: is the structure at least fifty years old, and does it contribute to the historic character of the landscape? All six Nakamori buildings qualified under that criterion, and the front storehouse, number 24-0184, illustrates the logic better than any of them.
On its own it is a shed for storing things. In position it is a piece of urban fabric. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a storehouse facing the street which, together with the gate and earthen wall, forms the historic streetscape. Remove it and the eastern frontage loses a solid mass at its southern end. The gate would open onto nothing in particular.
The iron sheeting deserves a word. Earthen storehouses were built to survive fire, which is why townspeople kept their valuables in them, and the thick plaster does the work. Rain is the harder enemy, because water reaching the earth core will destroy a wall from the inside. Sheet iron applied to exposed faces is a practical repair, common across western Japan from the Meiji period onward. It is not original, it is not decorative, and it is one reason this small building is still standing.
Standing on the Lane
This is the building that makes a visit worthwhile, because it is the one you can genuinely see. The Nakamori Residence is a private home with no public access of any kind, but the front storehouse presents its full height and one complete elevation to the public road.
Come in the morning if you can. The east-facing frontage takes direct light early, and the texture of the lower boarding against the plaster above reads clearly. Later in the day the whole wall flattens into shadow.
Note the relationship to the gate immediately north of it. A small wicket door opens in the space between the two structures, a detail easy to miss and worth looking for. Beyond the gate the earthen wall continues north for about ten metres, and the roof of the two-storey storehouse at the far west end of the plot rises above everything else.
The lane here is called the Shimoyashiki no Michi. Hirokōji Station on the Iga Railway is about three minutes on foot, Ueno-shi Station roughly ten. Walk north and you reach Samazama-en, the Tōdō Shinshichirō family's villa garden, closed to visitors but marked as a city historic site. Continue and the castle park, the Bashō Memorial Museum and the Haiseiden hall are all within reach on the same walk. Photograph the storehouse freely from the road, and leave the residents their privacy.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nakamori Family Residence Front Storehouse
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I see the Front Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence from the street?
- Yes. It stands at the south-east corner of the plot facing the public road, and its street elevation is visible without entering the property. The residence itself is private and closed, so viewing is limited to what can be seen from the lane.
- How big is the Front Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence?
- Three metres in each direction, with a recorded building area of 9.1 square metres. It is an earthen-walled storehouse of one storey with a gabled pantile roof and a north-south ridge, making it the smallest of the six registered structures on the site.
- What is a dozō storehouse, and how is the Nakamori front storehouse built?
- A dozō has a timber frame encased in thick layers of earth finished with plaster, which resists fire far better than ordinary walling. On this example the lower outer wall is clad in vertical boards to waist height, while the upper section combines plastered earth with protective sheet iron.
- Why was the Front Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence registered?
- Under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the storehouse faces the street and, with the gate and earthen wall alongside it, composes the historic frontage of a warrior-quarter plot in the former Ueno castle town.
- When was the Front Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, roughly 1830 to 1868. Registration took place on 19 December 2014 in the 79th round, under number 24-0184.
Basic Information
| Name | Front Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence (中森家住宅前蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 195 Uenogenbamachi, Iga, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 24-0184 |
| Year Designated | 19 December 2014 (79th round of registration) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, single storey, tiled roof; 3.0 m in each direction, building area 9.1 m² |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Closed. Street elevation visible from the public road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Front Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010311
- City of Iga, Plan for the Maintenance and Improvement of Historic Scenic Beauty (Chapter 2)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000013/13871/071017_3-2.pdf
- City of Iga, Characteristics of the History and Culture of Iga (reference material)
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000010/10892/shiryou2_second.pdf
- Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Comprehensive Database of Cultural Properties: Nakamori Residence
- https://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/ja/cultural-property/488301
Last verified: 2026.08.04