What the Watanabe Family Residence Small Storehouse Is
The Watanabe Family Residence Small Storehouse (渡邊家住宅小蔵, Watanabe-ke Jūtaku Kogura) 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 45-0040). The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Meiji period, between 1868 and 1911.
It stands behind the main house on its south side, next to the sake storehouse. The building is 3 and a half bays long and 2 bays deep, a single storey under a Kirizuma-zukuri gable roofed with Sangawara-buki pan tiles, with a building area of 33 square metres. As the name suggests, it is the smallest of the three storehouses on the lot.
According to the Agency, the Watanabe Family Residence Small Storehouse was used for firewood and similar supplies: the fuel for cooking and bath water, kept close at hand just behind the house.
Why It Was Registered
It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the nation. The main house has its kitchen wing projecting at the rear, and putting the firewood store directly behind it reads as a layout shaped by the daily routine of the household.
It was registered on March 27, 2006, together with the main house and the sake and west storehouses. It is the smallest of the four, but the sequence from the house at the front to the storehouses at the back is only complete with it included.
What to Look For
The doorway opens on the north side, in the gable end, facing back toward the main house; this is the Tsumairi arrangement. There is just one window, on the west wall, and otherwise the walls are closed.
The exterior is Shikkui lime plaster carried right up under the eaves, so no rafters show and the whole building, wall to roof edge, is wrapped in white. That is the same approach as the neighbouring sake storehouse. Compare the two and you will notice that the sake storehouse's eaves were worked into a wave pattern, while here the finish is plainer.
Because the plan is only 3 and a half by 2 bays, the gable end takes up the full width of the building, giving the small storehouse a compact, tidy outline.
Visiting the Small Storehouse
The Watanabe Family Residence Small Storehouse stands inside private grounds and its interior is closed. It sits directly behind the main house, which screens it from the road to the north, so views from public streets are limited. 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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Q&A
- Can you take photos of the Watanabe Family Residence Small Storehouse?
- Only of what is visible from the public road. It is screened by the main house, 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 Small Storehouse?
- The Watanabe Family Residence Small Storehouse is on private property and its interior is closed. It stands behind the main house, so views from the street are limited, and the grounds cannot be entered.
- What was the Watanabe Family Residence Small Storehouse used for?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs says it stored firewood and similar supplies. It stands behind the main house, side by side with the sake storehouse.
- When was the Watanabe Family Residence Small 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 large is the Watanabe Family Residence Small Storehouse, and what are its features?
- It is a single-storey earthen-walled storehouse of 3 and a half by 2 bays with a building area of 33 square metres. The door is in the north gable end, there is one window on the west side, and the lime plaster runs up under the eaves.
Basic Information
| Name | Watanabe Family Residence Small 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, 3 and a half by 2 bays, building area 33 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: 渡邊家住宅小蔵
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005531
- 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
