The Storehouse Behind the Shop
The Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse (旧三河屋商店土蔵) is a 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 38 square meters, dated to the late Edo period and moved by hikiya in 1996; registration number 20-0261.
Black Plastered Doors on White Walls
The Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse stands behind the store and residence. It is a two-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse, 3.5 ken long and 2.5 ken deep, entered on the long side, with a gabled roof of pantiles and a tiled Tsuchibisashi (a lean-to roof sheltering the doorway) over the entrance (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The walls are finished in white Shikkui plaster. The doorway holds a pair of hinged plastered doors finished in black plaster, and a window in the middle of the upper floor has a matching pair of black-plastered doors (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse as a model of design. At 38 square meters it is the largest of the three storehouses behind the house (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Nagano City Museum explains that the compound was built to keep out fire from neighboring houses, ringed by storehouses and high plastered walls around the inner courtyard. With thick walls and plastered doors that seal its openings, the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse is one of the buildings that made up that defense.
What to Look For
What catches the eye at the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse is the black plaster of its doors set in white walls; with the doorway and the upper window both closed by pairs of plastered doors, the front shows two dark openings, one above the other.
The miso storehouse opposite also has a tiled canopy over its doorway, but closes it with a sliding door (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Comparing the two shows how differently the doors of each storehouse were made.
Visiting
The Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse stands within the grounds of the Oirai-kan (門前商家ちょっ蔵おいらい館); its front is best seen from beside the miso storehouse that faces it. No official information on interior access was found.
The Agency's database and Cultural Heritage Online list the owner of the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse as Nagano Prefecture, while the other three buildings belong to Nagano City and the Oirai-kan is run as an annex of the Nagano City Museum. Opening hours and directions are on the Former Mikawaya Shoten page.
Q&A
- When was the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse built?
- The Agency dates it to the late Edo period and records that it was moved by hikiya in 1996.
- Where is the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse?
- In Higashimachi, Nagano City, within the grounds of the Oirai-kan, behind the store and residence and facing the miso storehouse.
- What should I look for at the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse?
- The pairs of black-plastered doors on the doorway and the upper window, set in white plaster walls (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who owns the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse?
- The Agency's database and Cultural Heritage Online list Nagano Prefecture; the other three buildings belong to Nagano City.
- When was the Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse registered?
- On October 18, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse (旧三河屋商店土蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 165-3 Nagano Higashimachi, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2006/10/18 (Heisei 18) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse, two storeys, tile roof, building area 38 m² |
| Owner | Nagano Prefecture (as recorded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs) |
| Public Access | Grounds open as the Oirai-kan; interior access unconfirmed |
References
- Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005850
- Former Mikawaya Shoten Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/182066
- Preserving the Merchant House (Nagano City Museum, Japanese)
- https://www.city.nagano.nagano.jp/museum/oirai/02_hozon.html
- Outline of the Merchant House (Nagano City Museum, Japanese)
- https://www.city.nagano.nagano.jp/museum/oirai/03_gaiyou.html
Last verified: 2026.11.03
