What Is the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse?
The Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse (旧平林家住宅（一星亭）西土蔵, Kyū Hirabayashi-ke Jūtaku Ichiboshi-tei Nishi Dozō) is a two-storey earthen-walled Dozo-zukuri storehouse built in 1856 on the Hirabayashi family estate in Ikusaka Village, Nagano Prefecture, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 5 December 2019. It covers 59 square meters and comes with a north gate.
It stands behind the main house on the north side, next to the east storehouse, with its ridge running east to west under a gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof of Sangawara-buki pantiles, aligned with its neighbor.
Its 59 square meters are more than double the east storehouse (24 square meters) and about three times the south storehouse (20 square meters). It is the largest storehouse on the estate.
The Largest Store on the Old Road
The Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse was registered as No. 20-0556 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the largest storehouse on the site and says that, with the east storehouse, it gives the street a solid, weighty character.
Side by side behind the main house, the two storehouses present a continuous run of white walls and tiled roofs to the old road. Built 16 years after the east storehouse and more than twice its size, the West Storehouse suggests how much the family had to store by the last years of the Edo period.
Plaster to the Eaves and Two Doorways
The walls of the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse are plastered in Shikkui right up into the underside of the eaves, so that no timber shows and the white surface runs unbroken from the wall to the roof. This gives it a different look from the east storehouse, whose lower wall is faced with Namako-kabe tiles.
There are two doorways on the south face, one in the middle and one at the east end. Each holds a sliding earthen door, a Tsuchido that opens sideways rather than on hinges, edged with a border in the shape of the Mokkō quince motif. Two doorways into one large store suggest that its contents were divided and reached separately.
The same quince border appears on the doors of the east storehouse, a detail shared by the storehouses of the estate.
Visiting the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse
The interior of the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse is closed. The village Board of Education occasionally holds guided viewings of the estate, but whether the storehouse is opened depends on each event.
Because its doorways face south toward the main house, the two sliding doors of the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse can only be seen on a viewing day from inside the grounds. From outside, the broad wall plastered white to the eaves is visible beside the east storehouse. Please stay on the public road.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse built?
- In 1856, 16 years after the east storehouse.
- Why is the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It is the largest storehouse on the site and, with the east storehouse, gives the old road a solid streetscape. It was registered on 5 December 2019 as No. 20-0556.
- How big is the Ichiboshi-tei west storehouse?
- It is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse of 59 square meters, the largest of the three on the estate, and a north gate is included in its registration.
- What are the main features of the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse?
- Plaster carried up into the underside of the eaves, and two doorways on the south face, each with a quince-edged sliding earthen door.
- Can I visit the Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse?
- The interior is closed, though the village Board of Education holds occasional guided viewings. Its walls and roof can be seen from outside the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse (旧平林家住宅（一星亭）西土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5497 Ikusaka Village, Higashichikuma District, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), No. 20-0556 |
| Year Designated | Registered 5 December 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2-storey earthen-walled storehouse, tiled roof, building area 59 square meters, with north gate |
| Owner | Ikusaka Village |
| Public Access | Not normally open (occasional guided viewings by the village Board of Education) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Hirabayashi Family Residence (Ichiboshi-tei) West Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013111
- Cultural Heritage Online: West Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, in Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/458279
- Koho Ikusaka, February 2025 issue (notice of the Ichiboshi-tei viewing, PDF, in Japanese)
- https://www.village.ikusaka.nagano.jp/gyousei/kouhou/pdf/2025.02.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.28
