About the Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse
The Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse (梅田家住宅中蔵, Umeda-ke Jūtaku Nakagura) is an 1866 storehouse at the back of the Umeda Family Residence in Kamihatchō, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 13, 2012. Set apart from the main house and front storehouse on the Hase Kaidō road, it stands at the southwest rear of the plot facing the inner garden.
It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri building under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles. At three ken by two ken (a ken is about 1.8 meters) it is compact, with a footprint of 24 square meters, and the connecting corridor links it to the main house. It was renovated in 2006, six years before registration.
Why It Was Registered
The Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, facing the inner garden, it adds to the fine townhouse scenery. Unlike the front storehouse, it is valued for the view it creates inside the compound, not for anything seen from the street.
The roof is framed in Wagoya style, the traditional Japanese method of setting short struts on horizontal beams to carry the roof. Its value lies in the survival, at the back of a late Edo townhouse, of a storehouse whose size and construction have not been greatly altered.
The Entrance Canopy and the Walls
The door of the Umeda middle storehouse is set toward the north end of its east wall. In front of it is a Kuramae, a covered entrance area under a single-pitch pantile roof that keeps rain off the doorway. With the door and canopy on the garden-facing east side, someone coming along the corridor can step straight into the storehouse.
The walls have a dado of Namako-kabe tile with white Shikkui plaster above. Under the eaves runs a Hachimaki, a thick band of plaster that crisply marks the line between wall and roof. The tortoise-shell stone base described for the front storehouse does not appear in the middle storehouse notes, which list a two-part finish of tile and plaster.
Seen across the garden through the glazed doors of the corridor, the grid of tile joints and the white band under the eaves close the view at the far side. The storehouse is placed where the garden scene ends.
Visiting the Middle Storehouse
The Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse is privately owned and not open to the public. Standing at the southwest rear of the plot, it cannot be seen from the Hase Kaidō.
No openings or special viewings of the storehouse were found at the time of writing. From the road, enjoy the exterior of the main house and front storehouse, and please do not enter the property or the lanes behind it.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Mie
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse
- [ Ise Grand Shrine & Shima Bay Cruise Tours ]
Q&A
- Where does the Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse stand?
- At the southwest rear of the Umeda plot, facing the inner garden. The connecting corridor links it to the main house.
- When was the Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse built?
- In 1866 (Keiō 2), with a renovation in 2006. It was registered on August 13, 2012.
- How big is the Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- It is a two-storey earthen storehouse of three ken by two ken, with a footprint of 24 square meters.
- What is the kuramae on the Umeda middle storehouse?
- It is a roofed area in front of the storehouse door. Here it sits toward the north end of the east wall under a single-pitch pantile roof.
- Can I visit the Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse?
- No. It is privately owned, not open to the public and not visible from the road.
Basic Information
| Name | Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 1648 Kamihatcho, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 13, 2012 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 24 square meters; 3 ken by 2 ken |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (deep in the plot, not visible from the Hase Kaido) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009309
- Cultural Heritage Online: Umeda Family Residence Middle Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/258422
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Umeda Family Residence Front Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009308
- Nabari City: List of Designated and Registered Cultural Properties (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.nabari.lg.jp/s061/010/020/000/030/R7shiteibunnkazaiitirann64.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.03
