Former Mikawaya Shoten Miso Storehouse

The Smallest of the Storehouses

The Former Mikawaya Shoten Miso Storehouse (旧三河屋商店味噌蔵) is the miso storehouse of a merchant house of the late Edo period in Higashimachi, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 18, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a two-storey storehouse with earthen walls and a tile roof, with a building area of 26 square meters, dated to the late Edo period and moved by hikiya in 1996; registration number 20-0262.

A Small Storehouse Facing the Larger One

The Former Mikawaya Shoten Miso Storehouse stands behind the store and residence, facing the storehouse across the yard. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse, 2.5 ken long and 2 ken deep, entered on the long side, with a gabled roof of pantiles; a tiled Tsuchibisashi shelters the doorway, which is closed by a sliding door (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The walls are white Shikkui plaster, and the lower part of the front is faced in Namako-kabe, square tiles set in a lattice of raised plaster joints. With a building area of 26 square meters it is the smallest of the four registered buildings.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered the Former Mikawaya Shoten Miso Storehouse as a model of design, noting that although small it shows a high level of plastering skill.

What to Look For

Since the Agency singles out the plasterwork, look closely at the namako-kabe along the base of the front of the Former Mikawaya Shoten Miso Storehouse and the white plaster wall above it.

The storehouse opposite closes its doorway with hinged black-plastered doors; the miso storehouse uses a sliding door (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Standing between the two, you can see two storehouses of different size and different doors facing each other.

Visiting

The Former Mikawaya Shoten Miso Storehouse is within the grounds of the Oirai-kan (門前商家ちょっ蔵おいらい館); stand between it and the storehouse to compare their fronts. No official information on interior access was found. Opening hours and directions are on the Former Mikawaya Shoten page.