What is the Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse?
The Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse (山中家住宅北蔵, Yamanaka-ke Jūtaku Kitagura) is a late Edo-period clay-walled storehouse standing west of the main house's north wing on the Yamanaka family's townhouse plot in Honmachi, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture, and was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Registered Tangible Cultural Property) on September 10, 2019. It is a 2-story Dozo-zukuri building with a tiled roof and a building area of 31 square meters.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1830 to 1868). It was built to hold household furnishings and utensils and faces east. The south storehouse in the southwest corner of the plot was a granary, so the two storehouses of the Yamanaka Family Residence had separate jobs.
White plaster and a tiled lattice
The Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse has a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) of interlocking pan tiles (Sangawara-buki) and is entered through the gable end (Tsumairi). In front of the door is an open pent roof (Geya) carried on posts, with no walls, which keeps the threshold dry.
The walls are finished in white lime plaster (Shikkui). Just below the eaves, the plaster is built out into a heavy band (Hachimaki) stepped in 3 tiers; this thickening around the eaves protected the storehouse against fire, and every extra tier meant more work for the plasterer. The lower part of the wall is Namako-kabe: flat tiles set in a grid with the joints raised in rounded ridges of plaster, giving the white wall a firm, patterned base.
The south storehouse on the same plot stops at a 2-tier band and an intermediate coat of plaster. Set beside it, the north storehouse, with its white finishing coat and tiled lattice, has clearly been given the more careful treatment of the two.
Inside, and its place on the plot
Inside the Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse, both floors are boarded and the walls are lined with horizontal planks. The roof is framed with raking beams (Nobori-bari) that climb along the slope of the roof toward the ridge.
The agency's note says that the storehouse and the annex together form the household compound in the northwest corner of the plot: a white storehouse facing east in the corner that runs from the back of the main house's north wing to the annex. It was registered, like the main house, for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country.
Seeing the Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse
The Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse stands behind the main house, deep in the plot, and can barely be seen from the public road on the Hase Kaido. Its interior is not open.
Since 2026 the property has been run as kyucho hotel, a house rented to one party at a time, but the sources checked for this article do not say if guests can see the north storehouse. If you want to look closely at the tiled lattice and the stepped eaves band, ask the operator in advance.
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Q&A
- What was the Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse used for?
- It stored household furnishings and utensils. The south storehouse in the southwest corner was the granary, so the two storehouses served different purposes.
- When was the Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1830 to 1868). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2019, the same day as the main house, the annex and the south storehouse.
- What is special about the walls of the Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse?
- They are finished in white plaster, with a 3-tier band of plaster under the eaves and a lower wall of namako-kabe tiles. That is a more elaborate finish than the 2-tier band and intermediate coat of the south storehouse.
- What is the inside of the Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse like?
- Both floors are boarded, the walls are lined with horizontal planks and the roof rests on raking beams. The interior is not open to visitors.
- Can I visit the Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse?
- It is not open to the public and is hardly visible from the street. The property is now a guesthouse, but it is unconfirmed if guests can see the storehouse, so please ask the operator.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 200 Honmachi, Nabari City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered September 10, 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Clay-walled storehouse, 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 31 m² |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open to the public; barely visible from the road |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012936
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Yamanaka Family Residence South Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012937
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yamanaka Family Residence North Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/380107
- Nabari City: List of Designated Cultural Properties, as of May 27, 2025 (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.city.nabari.lg.jp/s061/010/020/000/030/R7shiteibunnkazaiitirann64.pdf
- Iga Town Joho YOU: Kyucho Hotel Opens in a Registered House in Honmachi, Nabari (May 8, 2026, Japanese)
- https://www.iga-younet.co.jp/2026/05/08/114510/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
