Built on the Line of a Vanished Moat
The Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence (中森家住宅蔵, Nakamorike Jūtaku Kura) 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.
Its position is the interesting part. The building occupies the far western end of a long plot, set against a retaining wall, and that wall follows the line of the outer moat of Ueno Castle. The moat is gone. The ground level change it left behind is not, and this two-storey storehouse is built hard against it.
The structure is earthen-walled with a north-south ridge, two full storeys under a gabled roof of heavy formal tiling. A lean-to extends on the south-west face and the entrance is on the south. Sheet iron protects the outer walls up to the band course, and a window opens in the south gable.
The Castle That Shaped the Block
Tōdō Takatora took control of Iga Province in 1608 and began rebuilding the castle and its town from 1611. What he laid out was a fortress city intended for a decisive campaign against the Toyotomi forces in Osaka. Inside the outer moat, in the district now called Marunouchi, stood the residences of senior retainers. Outside it, in quarters such as Genbamachi, lived the lower ranks and the sub-vassals of the great houses.
That war never came in the form Takatora prepared for, and the castle's outer defences lost their function long before they lost their shape. Moats were filled, banks were levelled, streets were driven through. What survives is topography: a retaining wall here, a sudden fall in ground level there, boundaries that make no sense until you overlay an old plan.
The Nakamori storehouse sits on one of those seams. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as standing at the western edge of the plot against a retaining wall on the position of the former outer moat, and describes it as a tall storehouse that composes the view of the estate from the direction of the old moat. That phrasing repays a second reading. The building was designed to be seen from a place that no longer exists.
Two details of construction stand out. The roof uses hongawara, the paired broad and round tiles that carry more weight and more prestige than the simpler pantiles used on every other building on this plot. The roof frame employs sloping beams rather than the usual stacked assembly, a solution that suits a tall, narrow structure. The recorded building area is 30 square metres, with alterations noted in the middle Shōwa era. The registration number is 24-0185.
Finding It, from Outside
The Nakamori Residence is a private home and no part of it is open to visitors. The storehouse stands at the back of the plot, well away from the lane, so you will not get a clean view of it. What you will see, from the street on the eastern side, is its upper roof rising above the gate and the earthen wall, higher than everything in front of it.
That silhouette is the point. In a street of single-storey buildings a two-storey earthen storehouse announces itself, and the ACA's remark about the estate view makes sense the moment you register how far above the other ridges it sits.
Hirokōji Station on the Iga Railway is about three minutes away on foot, and Ueno-shi Station about ten. The walk between them along the Shimoyashiki no Michi passes Samazama-en, a city historic site and the villa garden of the Tōdō Shinshichirō house, closed to the public. Ueno Castle itself, rebuilt in timber in 1935 and famous for the height of its stonework, is a fifteen-minute walk north and very much open, with published hours and an admission charge. Seeing the keep first and this storehouse afterwards puts the two in the right order.
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Q&A
- Where exactly does the Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence stand?
- At the western end of the residence plot at 195 Uenogenbamachi, Iga, set against a retaining wall that follows the line of the former outer moat of Ueno Castle. Its ridge runs north to south.
- Can visitors see the Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence?
- Only its upper roof, seen from the public road on the eastern side of the property above the gate and earthen wall. The residence is privately owned and closed, with no interior visits and no access to the grounds.
- What is distinctive about the construction of the Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence?
- It is the only building on the plot roofed in hongawara formal tiling rather than pantiles, and its roof frame uses sloping beams. It rises two full storeys, has a lean-to on the south-west face, an entrance on the south, sheet-iron protection to the band course and a window in the south gable.
- When was the Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, roughly 1830 to 1868, with alterations in the middle Shōwa era, between 1946 and 1965. It was registered on 19 December 2014 under number 24-0185.
- Is there anything left of the outer moat of Ueno Castle near the Nakamori Residence?
- The water and the earthworks are gone, but the change in ground level survives in the form of retaining walls and plot boundaries through this part of the old castle town. The Nakamori storehouse is built directly against one such wall on the recorded line of the moat.
Basic Information
| Name | Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence (中森家住宅蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 195 Uenogenbamachi, Iga, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 24-0185 |
| Year Designated | 19 December 2014 (79th round of registration) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, two storeys, tiled roof; building area 30 m² |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Closed. Roof visible from the public road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010312
- Cultural Heritage Online: Storehouse of the Nakamori Residence
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/244705
- 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, Map of Historic Buildings in Iga
- https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/0000007970.html
Last verified: 2026.08.04