What the Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse Is
The Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse (渡邊家住宅西蔵, Watanabe-ke Jūtaku Nishigura) is a Meiji-era Dozo-zukuri earthen-walled storehouse on the Watanabe family's property in Aburatsu, Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 27, 2006 (registration number 45-0039). The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Meiji period, between 1868 and 1911.
It occupies the southwest corner of the lot. The building is 6 bays long and 3 bays deep, a single storey under a Kirizuma-zukuri gable roofed with Sangawara-buki pan tiles, with a building area of 72 square metres, the largest of the three storehouses on the property.
According to the Agency, the Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse held household goods and fittings. In a Japanese house, fittings usually means sliding doors and paper screens, which were swapped with the seasons, so this was most likely where such panels and little-used furnishings were put away.
Why It Was Registered
The storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the nation. Where the sake storehouse stood for the family's trade and the small storehouse for firewood and supplies, the west storehouse kept the household's furnishings. Having all three on one lot lets you read how an Aburatsu merchant family organised daily life.
It was registered on March 27, 2006, together with the main house and the sake and small storehouses.
What to Look For
Inside, the storehouse is divided into 2 rooms, each with its own doorway on the east side fitted with a sliding door, so two entrances sit side by side along the long east wall. That is the Hirairi arrangement, with entry on a long side, and it turns this building a different way from the sake and small storehouses, which are entered from their north gable ends.
The walls are finished differently face by face. The east front is clad in horizontal boards, while the other three sides are Shikkui lime plaster above a skirting of timber boards. The contrast between the board-clad front and the white, board-skirted sides is what gives the building its look.
Set it beside the sake and small storehouses, whose plaster runs right up under the eaves, and it is clear that even on one property the storehouses were not all finished the same way.
Visiting the West Storehouse
The Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse stands inside private grounds and its interior is closed. It sits in the southwest corner of the lot, behind the main house, so only limited views are possible from public roads. Do not enter the property; look from the street.
Photography is likewise limited to what can be seen from the road. Directions to the residence are on the Watanabe Family Residence page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse
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Q&A
- Can you take photos of the Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse?
- Only of what is visible from the public road. It stands in the southwest corner of the lot, so what can be photographed from the road is limited. Do not enter the grounds, and keep clear of the entrance, as this is a private household.
- Can you visit the Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse?
- The Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse is on private property and its interior is closed. It stands in the southwest corner of the lot, so views from the street are limited, and the grounds cannot be entered.
- What was the Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse used for?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs says it stored household goods and fittings. The interior is split into 2 rooms, each with a sliding-door entrance on the east side.
- When was the Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse built and registered?
- It dates from the Meiji period, between 1868 and 1911, and was registered on March 27, 2006 for its contribution to the historic landscape of the nation.
- How big is the Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse?
- It is a single-storey earthen-walled storehouse of 6 by 3 bays with a building area of 72 square metres, the largest of the three storehouses at the Watanabe Family Residence.
Basic Information
| Name | Watanabe Family Residence West Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-3-1 Aburatsu, Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/3/27 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, gabled roof with sangawara tiles, 6 by 3 bays, building area 72 square metres |
| Owner | Private (not published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private property; no entry to the grounds) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 渡邊家住宅西蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005530
- Nichinan City, Aburatsu Historic and Cultural Heritage Town Development Plan (March 2024, Japanese)
- https://www.city.nichinan.lg.jp/material/files/group/8/aburatsumachizukuriplan_20240329.pdf
- Nichinan City, Aburatsu Cultural Heritage Promotion Project (Japanese)
- https://www.city.nichinan.lg.jp/soshikikarasagasu/miraisoseika/2/5/5062.html
- Miyazaki Digital Museum, List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Miyazaki (Japanese)
- https://www.miyazaki-archive.jp/d-museum/bunka/ichiran2_01_10.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
