The clay-walled storehouse
The Yusa Family Residence Storehouse (遊佐家住宅土蔵, Yusa-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is an early Meiji-period storehouse on the Yusa farmstead in Ishinomori, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture, entered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 March 2006.
It stands on the west side of the farmstead, immediately east of the reception hall. The building is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse, its timber frame buried in thick clay walls, three bays by two, with a building area of 22 square metres. Its gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof is roofed in natural slate.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it in the early Meiji period. The farmstead has two other storehouses of the same era, but this is the only true clay-walled one.
Why it was registered
The Yusa Family Residence Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. On a farmstead of thatch and sheet metal, white Shikkui plaster, a dark tiled dado and a slate roof make it the most conspicuous building on the site.
The roof is of the okiyane, or set-on, type: a separate roof structure placed over the sealed clay body. The gap between the two keeps summer heat and wind-blown sparks away from the contents. Finishing that roof in natural slate rather than iron shows how much care went into the store.
Tiles, plaster and a triple door
The walls are plastered white, and the lower part is clad in Namako-kabe: flat tiles set diagonally with the joints raised in rounded ribs of plaster, a finish that shrugs off splashback and damp.
The entrance is in the north gable end. Three sliding leaves are fitted one behind another: a fireproof clay door (Tsuchido), a plank door and a screen door, all under a small slate-covered canopy. Close the clay door and the store is sealed; open it and the screen lets air through while keeping insects out. It is the arrangement of a storehouse in daily use.
A window opens in the gable at first-floor level. Seen end-on, the door, the canopy and the upper window stack neatly, giving a small building a good deal of character.
Visiting
The Yusa Family Residence Storehouse is on private property and no public opening has been announced. Photographs of the building are published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database and on the Cultural Heritage Online portal.
Directions to the farmstead and the conditions that apply to the whole site are collected on the page for the farmstead as a group.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yusa Family Residence Storehouse
- [ Matsushima Bay Cruise & Sendai Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Yusa Family Residence Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji period. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 March 2006.
- What are the walls of the Yusa Family Residence Storehouse like?
- White lime plaster above a dado of namako-kabe tiling. The gabled roof is a separate set-on roof covered in natural slate.
- How is the door of the Yusa Family Residence Storehouse arranged?
- In the north gable end three sliding leaves are fitted one behind another, a clay fire door, a plank door and a screen door, under a slate canopy.
- Can I visit the Yusa Family Residence Storehouse?
- It is on private property and no public opening has been announced. Photographs are published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database and on the Cultural Heritage Online portal.
- What is the set-on roof of the Yusa Family Residence Storehouse?
- A separate roof structure placed over the sealed clay body of the store. The air gap between the two helps keep heat and sparks away from the contents.
Basic Information
| Name | Yusa Family Residence Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 121 Ishinomori, Nakada, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/3/2 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 by 2 bays (ken), 2 storeys, building area 22 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no open days or viewing arrangement announced) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: 遊佐家住宅土蔵 (Yusa Family Residence Storehouse), Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005224
- Cultural Heritage Online: 遊佐家住宅土蔵
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/170532
- List of Cultural Properties, Tome City Board of Education
- https://www.city.tome.miyagi.jp/bunkazai/kurashi/kosodate/kyoikuinkai/shakaikyoiku/bunkazai.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
