Hiramatsu Family Residence North Storehouse

A White Storehouse Bearing the Family Crest

The Hiramatsu Family Residence North Storehouse (平松家住宅北土蔵, Hiramatsu-ke Jūtaku Kitadozō) is a two-storey earthen-walled storehouse of the late Edo period in Obuse, Nagano Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 October 2011. It is dated to between 1830 and 1868.

It stands behind the main house on the north side of the plot, its ridge running east to west. It measures 5.6 by 3.7 metres, with a building area of 33 square metres, and is built in the Dozo-zukuri manner, with thick clay walls around a timber frame. The gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) is laid in pan tiles (Sangawara-buki) and is of the oki-yane, or detached-roof, type.

A Finish That Signals Status

The walls of the Hiramatsu Family Residence North Storehouse are finished in white lime plaster (Shikkui), with timber boarding around the base. The door is on the east side and sheltered by a small pent roof.

The showpiece is the west gable wall, where the Hiramatsu family crest has been modelled in raised plaster using the Kote-e technique, in which a plasterer builds up relief with the trowel alone. The gable was treated as a public face for the household.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs also notes the careful finish of the hachimaki, the thickened band of plaster wrapped under the eaves, and of the window surrounds, and calls the result a storehouse of imposing appearance. Next to the south storehouse on the same site, which was left at the intermediate coat of plaster, the north storehouse clearly received more attention.

A Roof Built to Be Lost

The oki-yane roof of the Hiramatsu Family Residence North Storehouse is a separate timber structure set on top of the clay-sealed body of the building, leaving a gap between the two.

In a fire the roof could burn and fall while the body, closed by clay walls and a clay ceiling, survived with its contents. Separating the roof from the store was a way of putting the goods inside first.

The building was registered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country. White walls, a crest and a tiled roof gathered behind the main house form the north side of the compound.

Viewing the Hiramatsu Family Residence North Storehouse

The Hiramatsu Family Residence North Storehouse stands at the back of the plot, north of the main house, which screens it from the road to the south. How much of the crested west wall can be seen from outside depends on the surrounding buildings and planting.

The interior is not open. The residence is a private home, and walking round to the west side is not possible, so if the wall is out of sight, it is out of reach.

Directions and the general conditions for visiting are on the Hiramatsu Family Residence page.