Kosaka Family Residence Rice Storehouse

What Is the Kosaka Family Residence Rice Storehouse?

The Kosaka Family Residence Rice Storehouse (小坂家住宅米蔵, Kosaka-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is an earthen-walled storehouse built in 1855 on the Kosaka homestead in the Murayama district of Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 5, 2019.

It occupies the southwest corner of the property, its ridge running north to south. The earthen storehouse is single-story with a partial upper floor and covers 45 m². Among the eight registered structures, the Kosaka Family Residence Rice Storehouse carries the firmest date, and it predates the Meiji-era gates and storehouses. As the name says, it held rice, the wealth of a family of village headmen.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a large storehouse from the final years of the shogunate that sets off the old family's compound. Like its neighbors, it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

Position matters as much as size. The earthen wall that encloses the west and north sides of the homestead starts at this corner, so the Kosaka Family Residence Rice Storehouse is where the outline of the whole property begins.

What to Look For: A Floating Roof and White Trim

The gabled roof of pantiles is an okiyane, or placed roof. A separate timber roof frame sits on top of the sealed clay body of the storehouse, leaving a gap of air between them. The arrangement shields the walls from rain and sun and lets the roof be retiled without disturbing the storehouse itself.

The walls deserve a close look. Most of the surface is left at the intermediate coat of clay, and only the band beneath the eaves and the frames around the door and windows are finished in white lime plaster. The effect is a grey-brown body outlined in white.

The entrance is at the center of the east face, sheltered by an open lean-to on posts. Inside, the walls are lined with boards that keep the stored grain away from the clay.

Visiting the Kosaka Family Residence Rice Storehouse

The Kosaka Family Residence Rice Storehouse is on private property. The interior is closed and the grounds cannot be entered; it can only be seen as far as it is visible from the surrounding lanes. Please photograph from the road and respect the owners' privacy.