A Unique Stone Storehouse Born from the Lacquerware Trade

Standing quietly at the northern edge of the historic Narai-juku post town in Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture, the Maruyama Shikkiten Oya Stone Storehouse is a fascinating architectural rarity that tells the story of Japan's postwar lacquerware industry. Built in 1961 using Oya stone — a distinctive volcanic tuff quarried exclusively near Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture — this three-story structure is a nationally registered tangible cultural property and a remarkable testament to the creative spirit of Kiso lacquerware artisans.

Unlike the traditional wooden buildings that define the Narai streetscape, this stone storehouse stands out with its pale, textured walls of Oya stone blocks, offering visitors a surprising contrast and a unique chapter in the story of Japanese craftsmanship.

The History Behind the Stone Storehouse

During the late 1940s and 1950s, traveling merchants who sold Kiso lacquerware across Japan noticed impressive Oya stone buildings in the area around Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. Attracted by the stone's ease of cutting and the remarkably short construction time it allowed, they envisioned using this material to build specialized lacquer-coating workshops known as nuri-gura (塗蔵) back in the Kiso region.

The Maruyama Shikkiten Oya Stone Storehouse was constructed in 1961 (Showa 36) based on this idea. However, despite the promise of Oya stone as a building material, it proved impractical for lacquerware production. The porous stone generated excessive dust, caused problems with condensation, and made it difficult to maintain the precise temperature and humidity levels required for applying and drying lacquer. Because of these drawbacks, no further Oya stone storehouses were built in the region, making this building an exceptionally rare surviving example of a short-lived but fascinating experiment in lacquerware architecture.

Why It Was Designated a Cultural Property

The Maruyama Shikkiten Oya Stone Storehouse was registered as a national tangible cultural property on December 24, 2013. Its significance lies in several factors. First, it is a physical record of the intersection between two distinct regional industries — the Oya stone quarrying tradition of Tochigi Prefecture and the centuries-old lacquerware craftsmanship of the Kiso Valley. Second, it documents an innovative but ultimately unsuccessful experiment in adapting materials from one region to serve the needs of another, reflecting the entrepreneurial spirit of postwar Japanese artisans. Third, as the sole remaining example of its kind, the storehouse holds irreplaceable value as evidence of a unique moment in Japan's architectural and industrial history.

Architectural Features and Design

The storehouse is a three-story stone structure with a square floor plan measuring 5.8 meters on each side. It features a gabled roof (kirizuma-zukuri) with a gable-end entrance (tsumairi) covered in traditional pan tile roofing (san-gawara-buki). Each floor consists of a single room, and the building was originally designed with a specific lacquerware production workflow in mind: the first floor was intended for polishing and grinding (togi), the second floor for the intermediate coating process (naka-nuri), and the third floor for the final top coating (uwa-nuri), which required the cleanest and most dust-free environment.

The Oya stone itself is a light-colored volcanic tuff formed approximately 15 million years ago from undersea volcanic eruptions. It is prized for being lightweight, easy to carve, and fire-resistant. The famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright selected Oya stone for the original Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, completed in 1923, which brought international attention to this distinctive Japanese building material.

Highlights and Points of Interest

Visitors to the storehouse will find several aspects particularly compelling. The pale, textured Oya stone walls create a striking visual contrast against the dark wooden buildings of Narai-juku, making it an immediately recognizable landmark near the northern boundary of the preservation district. The three-story stone structure itself is an unusual sight in the Kiso Valley, where buildings are overwhelmingly made of wood. From the outside, you can appreciate the careful stonework and the compact yet imposing form of the building.

Perhaps most interesting is the story the building tells about the Kiso lacquerware trade. It stands as a tangible reminder of a time when artisans were willing to experiment boldly, bringing building materials hundreds of kilometers from Tochigi to the mountains of Nagano in pursuit of better workshops. The fact that the experiment ultimately failed only adds to the building's charm and historical interest.

Narai-juku: The Surrounding Post Town

The Maruyama Shikkiten Oya Stone Storehouse is situated at the northern end of Narai-juku, one of the best-preserved post towns along the historic Nakasendo highway. Narai-juku flourished during the Edo period (1603–1868) as the 34th of the 69 stations on the route connecting Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto. At an elevation of approximately 940 meters, it was the highest post town among the eleven stations in the Kiso Valley portion of the Nakasendo, and its prosperity earned it the nickname "Narai of a Thousand Houses."

Today, the town stretches for about one kilometer along the old highway, lined with beautifully maintained two-story wooden buildings featuring the distinctive overhanging second floors known as dashibari-zukuri. The area was designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings (Jūyō Dentōteki Kenzōbutsu-gun Hozon Chiku) in 1978. Visitors can explore historic merchant houses, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and numerous shops selling local crafts including the region's renowned Kiso lacquerware.

Kiso Lacquerware: A Living Craft Tradition

The Kiso region has been producing lacquerware for over 600 years, with the earliest records dating to 1394. Unlike the ornate lacquerware created for aristocrats in cities like Kyoto and Kanazawa, Kiso lacquerware developed as practical, everyday tableware sold to travelers along the Nakasendo highway. The discovery of a special iron-rich clay called sabi-tsuchi in the early Meiji era allowed artisans to create exceptionally durable lacquer coatings, further establishing the region's reputation.

The nearby town of Kiso-Hirasawa, just two kilometers north of Narai-juku, is the heart of Kiso lacquerware production and is itself designated as an Important Preservation District. Visitors can browse lacquerware shops, visit the Kiso Lacquerware Museum, and even participate in lacquer-painting workshops to create their own lacquerware pieces.

Nearby Attractions

The area around Narai-juku offers a wealth of cultural and natural experiences for visitors.

• Nakamura Residence (中村邸) — A beautifully preserved early 19th-century merchant house that demonstrates the traditional lifestyle of Narai's comb merchants, complete with an elegant garden.
• Kamitonya Museum (上問屋史料館) — The former official courier station of Narai-juku, designated as a national Important Cultural Property, which displays historical documents and artifacts from the Edo period.
• Chosenji Temple (長泉寺) — A Soto Zen temple founded in 1366, known for its impressive painted dragon ceiling and its role in the preservation of Narai-juku's historic streetscape.
• Shizume Shrine (鎮神社) — A vermillion-painted shrine at the southern end of the post town, originally established in 1618 to ward off an epidemic.
• Torii Pass (鳥居峠) — A historic mountain pass on the Nakasendo Trail connecting Narai-juku to the neighboring post town of Yabuhara, featuring original cobblestone paths and mountain views.
• Kiso-Hirasawa Lacquerware District — A short walk north from Narai, this historic lacquerware production town offers shops, workshops, and the Kiso Lacquerware Museum.