Former Mikawaya Shoten Warehouse

The Warehouse Cut to Half Its Length

The Former Mikawaya Shoten Warehouse (旧三河屋商店倉庫) is a warehouse 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 single-storey storehouse with earthen walls and a tile roof, with a building area of 31 square meters, dated to the late Edo period and moved by hikiya in 1996; registration number 20-0263.

A Long Storehouse, Shortened When It Was Moved

The Former Mikawaya Shoten Warehouse is a single-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse lined up beyond the miso storehouse. It has a gabled roof of pantiles, entered on the long side, with a tiled Tsuchibisashi over a doorway closed by a sliding door (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

It was originally 8 ken long and 2 ken deep, a long, narrow building, but was cut down to 4 ken in length when it was moved (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its building area is now 31 square meters. The walls are white Shikkui plaster, with Namako-kabe tiling along the base of the front.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered the Former Mikawaya Shoten Warehouse as a model of design. Its namako-kabe base matches that of the miso storehouse, so the two read as a pair (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

In the move that began in 1996, the main house and the three storehouses were turned through 90 degrees together and shifted onto the land to the east (Nagano City Museum). According to the Agency's record, the Former Mikawaya Shoten Warehouse was shortened at the time of that move.

What to Look For

The Former Mikawaya Shoten Warehouse is the only single-storey building of the four, and beside the two-storey miso storehouse the difference in roof height is plain to see.

Before it was shortened it was 8 ken long, twice its present length. Pace out the front and picture a storehouse twice as long.

Visiting

The Former Mikawaya Shoten Warehouse is at the back of the Oirai-kan (門前商家ちょっ蔵おいらい館) grounds, next to the miso storehouse. No official information on interior access was found. Opening hours and directions are on the Former Mikawaya Shoten page.