What Is the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse?
The Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse (片倉家住宅文庫蔵, Katakura-ke Jūtaku Bunkogura) is a three-storey clay-walled storehouse built in the early Showa period on the Katakura homestead in Kawagishikami, Okaya City, Nagano Prefecture; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 July 1999. At 65 square meters it is the largest storehouse on the property.
It stands apart from the three early Meiji storehouses west of the main house, on the road edge at the southeast corner of the lot.
A Document Store That Held Rice
A bunkogura is usually a storehouse for papers, books and account ledgers, and "Document Storehouse" is the usual English rendering. Yet the Agency for Cultural Affairs records that the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse was originally used as a rice store, among other things.
It measures 5.5 ken by 3.5 ken (about 10 by 6.4 meters), noticeably bigger than the earlier storehouses, which are all 2.5 ken deep. Inside, the ground floor is divided into two rooms, while the second and third floors are each a single room.
Some fifty years after the early Meiji storehouses, the family added this tall new store in the early Showa period, a sign of how much more space its harvests and reserves then needed.
A Ground Floor That Swallowed Its Eave
On the ground floor, the space that once lay under a lean-to Hisashi on the west side has been enclosed within the walls. The agency calls the result an unusual form: the ground floor appears to push out further to the west than the floors above.
The roof is an Okiyane covered in iron sheet. A three-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse is tall by any standard, and it stands out clearly beside the two-storey Meiji stores.
Set on the road edge, the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse also marks the southeast corner of the homestead and shapes how the property looks from the street.
Visiting the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse
The Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse belongs to Katakura Industries and is not open to the public. The grounds and the interior are closed.
Because it stands on the road edge at the southeast corner, its exterior can be seen from the public road, and its height and detached roof are clear from there. Do not enter the property, and take photographs from the road. Directions and the site layout are on the Katakura Family Residence page.
Q&A
- What was the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse used for?
- As a rice store, among other uses, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, despite its name.
- How many floors does the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse have?
- Three. The ground floor has two rooms and the upper two floors are single rooms.
- What should I look for at the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse?
- The ground floor that encloses a former west-side eave, and the three-storey height under an iron-sheet detached roof.
- When did the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 8 July 1999, as registration no. 20-0018, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can I visit the Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse?
- The interior and grounds are closed, but the exterior can be seen from the public road at the southeast corner of the homestead.
Basic Information
| Name | Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse (片倉家住宅文庫蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-21-6 Kawagishikami, Okaya City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registration no. 20-0018 |
| Year Designated | Registered 8 July 1999 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Three-storey dozo-zukuri storehouse, iron sheet roof, building area 65 square meters |
| Owner | Katakura Industries Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Katakura Family Residence Document Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00001192
- List of Cultural Properties (Okaya City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.okaya.lg.jp/material/files/group/26/10297.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.27
