A Meiji Storehouse Behind a Soy Brewer's House
The Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse (小川家住宅東蔵) is an earthen-walled storehouse of the mid-Meiji era in Sakakimachi, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 27, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse with a tiled roof and a building area of 24 square metres, dated to the mid-Meiji era (1883–1897); registration number 24-242.
A Storehouse Added in the Meiji Era
The Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse (小川家住宅東蔵, Ogawa-ke Jūtaku Higashigura) stands behind the main house, in the middle of the north side of the plot, and faces south (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Ogawa family brewed soy sauce here until 1948 (Mie Prefecture), and the late Edo west storehouse was already on the site. The east storehouse joined it in the mid-Meiji era.
It measures three bays by two. The roof is a gable roof, and the door is in the long side parallel to the ridge, the arrangement called Hirairi (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Where the neighbouring west storehouse is entered from its gable end, the Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse turns its long side to the courtyard.
Why It Was Registered
The Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency values it for the good view it makes from the courtyard. Unlike the main house, then, it was registered for what it gives to the inside of the property, not to the street.
Three Layers at the Door
The doorway of the Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse is closed by three layers: double plaster doors finished in Kakegonuri, an inner board door and a sliding mesh door (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Kakegonuri is a plasterer's technique in which the meeting edges of the doors are built up in steps so that they interlock and seal against fire and damp. The board and mesh doors behind allowed the heavy doors to stand open for air without leaving the store unguarded.
The lower part of the outer wall is finished in namako walling. A local newspaper notes that on both storehouses the lower half of the wall is laid in a diamond pattern (Iga Town Joho YOU). Inside there is a single room, and the upper floor has one window in each gable (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
What to Look For
At the Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse, look for the namako dado and the thickness of the stepped plaster doors (Agency for Cultural Affairs). White plaster above and flat tiles below make the contrast on which the courtyard view depends.
The upper-floor windows are in the gables, one at each end; the Agency records none on the upper front facing the courtyard.
Visiting
The Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse stands behind the main house and does not face the Hase Kaido. The property is a private home, and no official information was found on access to the grounds or the storehouse interior, nor on photography.
Directions from Nabari Station are given on the page for the Ogawa Family Residence (Nabari).
Q&A
- When was the Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse built?
- In the mid-Meiji era; the Agency for Cultural Affairs gives 1883–1897.
- Can I visit the Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse?
- It stands at the back of a private home and no information on access was found. It does not face the Hase Kaido.
- How does the Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse differ from the west one?
- The east storehouse is mid-Meiji, three bays by two and entered on its long side; the west is late Edo, two and a half bays by two and entered at the gable.
- How is the door of the Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse built?
- Stepped plaster double doors, with an inner board door and a sliding mesh door behind them (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse registered?
- On October 27, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse (小川家住宅東蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1404-2 Sakakimachi, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/10/27 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled, two-storey, tiled roof, building area 24 m², 3 bays by 2 bays |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Within a private home (not open to the public) |
References
- Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011971
- Ogawa Family Residence East Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/301119
- Recommendation for new registration of tangible cultural properties (Mie Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/TOPICS/m0046300059.htm
- Outline of the properties recommended in Mie (Mie Prefectural Board of Education, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/common/content/000738202.pdf
- Three Nabari buildings added to the register (Iga Town Joho YOU, Japanese)
- https://www.iga-younet.co.jp/news1/2017/07/3-51.html
Last verified: 2026.11.11
