Miso Below, Tools Above
The Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse is a two-story earthen storehouse built in the early Meiji era on the estate of a silkworm-egg producer in Kamishiojiri, Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 15, 2024. In Japanese it is 旧佐藤家住宅（藤本）味噌蔵, Kyū Satō-ke Jūtaku (Fujimoto) Misogura.
It stands in the northwest of the lot, immediately west of the Document Storehouse and, like its neighbor, facing east. The footprint is 21 square meters. Dated to the early Meiji years, between 1868 and 1882, it ranks with the Document Storehouse as one of the two oldest buildings on the estate.
The name tells only half the story. The ground floor, a single earth-floored room, held the household's miso, the fermented soybean paste at the base of the Japanese kitchen. The wood-floored room upstairs was used to store tools. One small building served both the kitchen and the family business.
Why It Was Registered
The Miso Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as continuing the line of the Document Storehouse, and it draws particular attention to an unusual detail in the roof space upstairs.
The two storehouses are close in size, orientation, and roof type. Standing side by side and facing the same way, they form a distinct domestic corner in the northwest of the estate, quite different in character from the silkworm rooms at its center.
What to Look For
That unusual detail is overhead on the upper floor. The top edges of the Taruki rafters are notched into a stepped, sawtooth profile, and the roof boards laid on them overlap like clapboards, each step receiving the edge of a board. There is no ceiling, so this careful carpentry is on full view from inside.
Notching every rafter to seat the boards snugly takes time, and it is a little surprising to find such care lavished on a tool loft. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database includes a photograph of the ridge beam, which gives a glimpse of the roof space.
From outside, the storehouse is gabled with its entrance on the gable end, in the Tsumairi manner, with a tiled okiyane roof set on top of the plastered body. The air gap between roof and walls tempers summer heat and helps the body survive if the roof catches fire.
Visiting the Miso Storehouse
The Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse stands on private land owned by Fujimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. and is not open to the public. Requests to visit must go to the owner, and we found no published guidance on photography.
Tucked into the back corner of the estate, it is hard to see from outside. The exterior photograph from the southeast in the national database is the best way to get a sense of it.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse?
- No. It stands on private property and is not open to the public. Anyone hoping to see it should contact the owner, Fujimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd.
- When was the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse built?
- It dates from the early Meiji era, between 1868 and 1882, and was registered on August 15, 2024.
- What was the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse used for?
- Miso was kept in the earth-floored ground floor, and the wood-floored upper room was used to store tools.
- What is unusual about the roof of the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse?
- Upstairs, the tops of the rafters are notched into steps and the roof boards are overlapped on them and left exposed, a detail the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out as rare.
- How big is the Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse?
- It is a two-story earthen storehouse with a footprint of 21 square meters and a gabled, tiled roof set on top of the body.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 91 Minamigawa, Kamishiojiri, Ueda, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/8/15 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 stories, tiled roof, building area 21 square meters |
| Owner | Fujimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private property) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Sato Family Residence (Fujimoto) Miso Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015015
- Toshin Journal: Former Sato Family Residence registered as a national cultural property (Japanese)
- https://tjournal.co.jp/local/ueda/post-17134/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
