Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse: A Late Meiji Storehouse Shop on the Street
The Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse (壽丸屋敷店蔵) is a two-storey storehouse-style shop built in the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912) in Naka-machi, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture, and was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2019.
A misegura is a shop built with the thick, fire-resistant walls of a storehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists a two-storey dozo-style building with a tiled roof and a building area of 55 square metres. It was registered on 10 September 2019 and belongs to Shiroishi City.
Why It Was Registered
The agency praises the Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse for a solid, well-balanced exterior that shapes the streetscape of the old castle town.
It faces west onto the street, and this one building forms the public face of the merchant house, setting the tone of the townscape.
What to Look For
The roof is gabled. The ground-floor windows have iron grilles, and the upper floor has two windows with double shutter doors. Inside, the ground floor is a shop with an earthen front area, and the upper floor has two rooms.
According to Shiroishi City, it measures 4 bays (7.28 metres) by 3 bays (5.35 metres). The eave tiles bear a plum-blossom crest, the eaves are fully rendered in white and black plaster, the brow mouldings over the windows are heavy, and the gable tiles carry wave and flower motifs. Look up from the street at the two-tone plaster and the crests on the tiles.
Viewing the Shop Storehouse
The shop storehouse fronts the street, and its exterior can be seen from there. No official information on interior access could be found.
An overview of the estate and notes on visiting are on the Sumaru Yashiki page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Miyagi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse
- [ Matsushima Bay Cruise & Sendai Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse built?
- In the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912). It was registered in 2019.
- How is the Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse built?
- Two storeys in storehouse construction, with a gabled tiled roof and a building area of 55 square metres.
- What are the exterior features of the Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse?
- Iron-grilled ground-floor windows, two shuttered upper windows, eaves in white and black plaster and plum-crested eave tiles.
- What is inside the Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse?
- A shop with an earthen front area downstairs and two rooms upstairs.
- Can I visit the Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse?
- The exterior can be seen from the street. No official interior access information was found.
Basic Information
| Name | Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 48-5 Naka-machi and other lots, Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019/09/10 (Reiwa 1) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey dozo storehouse, tiled roof, building area 55 m² |
| Owner | Shiroishi City |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the street. No official interior access information |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012869
- Cultural Heritage Online: Sumaru Yashiki Shop Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/413705
- Shiroishi City: Sumaru Yashiki registered (Japanese)
- https://www.city.shiroishi.miyagi.jp/soshiki/30/32441.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27
