A Meiji Storehouse Turned Bathhouse
Fubokaku Grain Storehouse (不忘閣穀蔵, Fubōkaku Kokugura) is a single-storey earthen Dozo-zukuri storehouse in the grounds of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn at Aone Onsen in Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture, built around 1896 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014. Miyagi Prefecture writes the name with a different character for the second syllable (穀倉).
It is the northernmost of the three storehouses lined up on the northern side of the site, standing just north of the Zashiki Storehouse. It measures 9.1 metres by 4.5 metres, with a footprint of 41 square metres, and shares a continuous metal-sheet detached roof with the Archive and Zashiki storehouses to the south.
The name means a store for grain, but today the Fubokaku Grain Storehouse is a bathroom with hot-spring water piped inside. According to Miyagi Prefecture, the upper floor was removed during a renovation and the interior converted into a bath.
Two Dates for One Renovation
The sources disagree about when that happened. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives a renovation date of 2006; Miyagi Prefecture's notes give 1996. Whether one is a typographical slip or the work was done in stages cannot be judged from the published sources.
The building's classification reflects the change. The Agency lists the Fubokaku Grain Storehouse as single-storey, unlike the two-storey storehouses to the south. With the upper floor gone, the exterior still reads as a storehouse while the interior has become one tall space.
It was registered under the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape. Here is a storehouse that kept its outward character while changing its use completely, and by staying useful has kept its place in the compound.
What to Look For
The Agency's description draws attention to the doorway and window at the centre of the east face. The window frame is finished carefully in black plaster, and it sharpens the whole elevation against the white Shikkui walls. Of the three storehouses, this is the only one whose black-plaster window frame the Agency mentions.
The walls are lime plaster with a hachimaki band around the top and Namako-kabe tilework at the base. Overhead, the detached roof runs unbroken from the two storehouses to the south and ends at this building, the last in the row.
Visiting the Grain Storehouse
The Fubokaku Grain Storehouse is a bathroom for guests, and people not staying at the inn cannot see inside. Travel writers describe it as a bath that guests can use privately when it is free; follow the inn's instructions for using it.
Because it is a bath, check with the staff before taking any photographs inside, even when no one else is there. If you are not staying, please keep off the grounds.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Fubokaku Grain Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Fubokaku Grain Storehouse built?
- Around 1896. It is the northernmost of the three storehouses lined up on the north side of the site.
- How is the Fubokaku Grain Storehouse used today?
- As a bathroom with hot-spring water piped in. Miyagi Prefecture says the upper floor was removed during a renovation to create the bath.
- When was the Fubokaku Grain Storehouse renovated?
- The sources differ: the Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives 2006, while Miyagi Prefecture gives 1996.
- What should I look at on the outside of the Fubokaku Grain Storehouse?
- The doorway and window at the centre of the east face. The window frame is finished in black plaster, which stands out sharply against the white walls.
- When was the Fubokaku Grain Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On 19 December 2014, as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property with registration number 04-0102.
Basic Information
| Name | Fubokaku Grain Storehouse (不忘閣穀蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1 Aone Onsen, Kawasaki Town, Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 04-0102 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen storehouse, single storey, sheet-iron roof, building area 41 square metres; 9.1 metres by 4.5 metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (part of the Yumoto Fubokaku inn) |
| Public Access | Bathroom of a working inn; overnight guests only |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Fubokaku Grain Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010252
- Cultural Heritage Online: Fubokaku Grain Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/274256
- Miyagi Prefecture: registration of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, 19 December 2014 (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.miyagi.jp/soshiki/bunkazai/touroku-toushin.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
