Three storehouses behind the salt merchant's house
The Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse (平林家住宅文庫蔵・塩蔵・漬物蔵, Hirabayashi-ke Jūtaku Bunkogura, Shiogura, Tsukemonogura) in Omachi, Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, is a late Edo-period storehouse range on the former premises of the Hirabayashi salt wholesalers, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 27, 2017 (number 20-0516). A document storehouse with a pickle storehouse and a salt storehouse added on, it forms part of the visitor route at the Shio no Michi Chojiya museum.
The range stands north of the main house. It is built in the thick-walled Dozo-zukuri manner, 2 storeys under a tiled roof, with a building area of 186 m². The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, with repairs in 1859 and an extension in 1869: the document storehouse came first, and the pickle and salt storehouses were added to it.
Three stores under one roof
The range is 3 bays deep. To the 5-bay document storehouse were added a pickle storehouse and a salt storehouse of 4 bays each, and the whole is covered by a single gabled roof of the Okiyane type, a separate roof set on top of the clay body. A lean-to Geya canopy runs along the east front, sheltering the three doorways.
The document storehouse is the sturdiest of the three, with a central ridge post 9 sun (about 27 centimetres) square and interior walls lined with vertical boards. The museum says it held lacquered dining trays and family treasures, and it alone has hinged double doors at its entrance; stand in front of the range and the difference is easy to spot.
The brine trap in the salt storehouse
The salt storehouse is the one to linger over. It keeps intact its nigari-dame, a trap that collected the bitter brine, nigari, seeping from the stored salt. Omachi City, too, describes the salt storehouse, built between the Edo and Meiji periods, as valuable because this original arrangement survives.
The Agency registered the Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse as buildings that contribute to the historic landscape, valuing them as a record of the family's prosperity. The names of the three stores, documents, pickles and salt, sum up the business of a house that dealt in salt and later brewed soy sauce and miso.
Visiting
The Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse stand on the left as you walk out the back of the main house at Shio no Michi Chojiya, and museum visitors see them as part of the route. The document storehouse is used year-round as a gallery for temporary exhibitions, so what is on show changes.
The museum's published information does not say whether photography is allowed; ask at the reception. Opening hours, admission and directions are on the Hirabayashi Family Residence (Shio no Michi Chojiya) page.
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Q&A
- When were the Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates them to the late Edo period, with repairs in 1859 and an extension in 1869, when the pickle and salt storehouses were added to the document storehouse.
- When were the Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse registered as a cultural property?
- On October 27, 2017, as Registered Tangible Cultural Property number 20-0516, the same day as the Hirabayashi Family Residence Main House.
- What is special about the salt storehouse at the Hirabayashi Family Residence in Omachi?
- It still has its nigari-dame, the original trap that collected the bitter brine seeping out of stored salt.
- Can visitors see the Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse?
- Yes. They are part of the visitor route at the Shio no Michi Chojiya museum, on the left behind the main house, and the document storehouse is used for temporary exhibitions.
- How is the document storehouse at the Hirabayashi Family Residence built?
- It has a central ridge post 9 sun (about 27 centimetres) square and interior walls lined with vertical boards, and it is the only one of the three with hinged double doors.
Basic Information
| Name | Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse (平林家住宅文庫蔵・塩蔵・漬物蔵), Shio no Michi Chojiya |
|---|---|
| Location | 2572-1 Omachi, Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 20-0516 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/10/27 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, 2 storeys, tiled roof; building area 186 m²; 3 bays deep, length 5 bays (documents), 4 bays (pickles) and 4 bays (salt) |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Open as part of the Shio no Michi Chojiya visitor route (admission charged; closed Wednesdays and over the New Year) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011957
- Cultural Heritage Online — Hirabayashi Family Residence Document Storehouse, Salt Storehouse and Pickle Storehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/247381
- Omachi City — Shio no Michi Chojiya and Yabusame Hall
- https://www.city.omachi.nagano.jp/shiminkatsudo/manabu/rekishi/ksjih50tfcipxjndezhvy95k
- Shio no Michi Chojiya — Museum guide
- https://choji-ya.jp/museum.html
- Shio no Michi Chojiya — Home page
- https://choji-ya.jp/
Last verified: 2026.10.06
