What is the Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse?
The Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse (黒木家住宅土蔵, Kuroki-ke Jūtaku Dozō) is a two-story earthen-walled storehouse of the early Taisho period at 4983-4 Komaki, Okobira, in Ebino City, Miyazaki Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on July 23, 2004.
It stands behind the main house, parallel to the zashiki wing. At 28 square meters of building area it is the smallest of the four registered buildings, yet the only one with two stories. Its registration number is 45-0029.
Why the storehouse was registered
The Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse was registered as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sums it up as plain and straightforward, but built by traditional methods.
It is neither large nor ornate. What earned it registration is that the established steps and details of building a dozō, the fire-resistant earthen storehouse in which Japanese households kept their valuables, were followed without shortcuts. As the family storehouse of an early Taisho country residence, it preserves the basic type well.
A white plastered storehouse entered from the gable
The storehouse has a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof in Sangawara-buki pantiles, and it is Tsumairi, entered from the gable end. Its outer walls are finished in white Shikkui lime plaster.
The Agency points to two traditional details. The first is the Hachimaki at the eaves, a band where the top of the wall is built out thicker and plastered all round, a typical storehouse measure to keep fire from getting in under the eaves. The second is a mizukiri halfway up the wall, a ledge that throws rainwater running down the plaster clear of the wall below. These two horizontal lines, high and midway up the white walls, give the Kuroki storehouse its crisp outline.
A corridor from the house and a window under a small eave
A corridor running straight from the main house meets the front of the storehouse, so goods could be moved in and out without going outdoors in the rain.
Above the point where the corridor meets the building is a window with a small eave of its own, another device to keep rain off the wall. The storehouse and the zashiki wing stand side by side behind the main house, each linked to it, and together they make up the rear of the Kuroki Family Residence.
Seeing the Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse
The Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse is part of a private home, and no official source offers opening days or visit arrangements. The interior is not open.
Standing behind the main house, it can at most be glimpsed from outside as an upper wall or gabled roof. If you do see it, look for the hachimaki band at the top of the wall and the mizukiri line across its middle. Stay off the property, and with no guidance on photography, avoid pictures that look into the house.
Q&A
- When was the Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Taisho period. It was registered on July 23, 2004, under number 45-0029.
- What kind of building is the Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse?
- A two-story earthen storehouse with a gabled pantile roof, entered from the gable end, with walls finished in lime plaster. Its building area is 28 square meters.
- What are the hachimaki and mizukiri on the Kuroki storehouse?
- The hachimaki is a thickened plaster band at the top of the wall under the eaves; the mizukiri is a ledge halfway up that sheds rainwater. The Agency cites both as traditional methods.
- How is the Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse connected to the main house?
- A corridor runs straight from the main house to the storehouse front. The storehouse stands behind the main house, parallel to the zashiki wing.
- Can visitors see the Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse?
- No public viewing is announced. It is part of a private home and stands behind the main house, so little of it is visible from outside.
Basic Information
| Name | Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 4983-4 Komaki, Okobira, Ebino City, Miyazaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered July 23, 2004 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 28 square meters |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | No public viewing announced (private home) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004307
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kuroki Family Residence Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/117387
Last verified: 2026.10.03
