The Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse in Otari
The Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse (中村家住宅土蔵, Nakamura-ke Jūtaku Dozō) in the Chikuni area of Otari Village, Kitaazumi District, Nagano Prefecture, is a storehouse for household goods built in 1903, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 3, 2024.
It stands on the south side of the Nakamura main house, parallel to it, on the high ground northeast of Minami-Otari Station. The storehouse is two stories tall with a gabled roof, entered on the long side. The roof is an okiyane, a separate roof set over the body of the building, and a lean-to shelters the front. The building area is 42 square meters, and the roof is covered in sheet metal.
The building was altered around 1939 and again in the middle of the Shōwa era.
Why it was registered
The Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, together with the main house, it shapes the historic appearance of the settlement.
On the terrace, the large thatch-profiled hipped roof of the house and the gabled storehouse sit side by side. Different in roof shape and wall finish, the two buildings together make the layout of a farming household legible even from a distance.
What to look for
The walls of the Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse are rendered in mortar and scored with joint lines so that they resemble dressed stone. The lower walls are clad in shitami-itabari, horizontal boards overlapping one another to shed splashback from rain.
A kakego-nuri door hangs on the upper floor at the front. In this finish the edges of the door and its frame are built up in stepped layers of plaster that lock together when the door is shut, making the storehouse tighter against air and fire.
Each floor is a single room: beaten earth on the ground floor and boarded flooring upstairs.
The Agency's database is not entirely consistent about the building's form. Its structure field describes a single-story timber building with a partial second floor, while its explanatory text calls it two-storied.
Visiting
The Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse belongs to a private home and its interior is not open. The grounds cannot be entered, and no viewing or photography contact is published (checked September 2026).
The location of the homestead and general notes for visitors are on the Nakamura Family Residence (Otari) page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse
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Q&A
- When was the Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse in Otari built?
- In 1903. It was altered around 1939 and again in the middle of the Shōwa era.
- What are the walls of the Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse in Otari like?
- Mortar scored with stone-style joints above and overlapping horizontal boards below, with a kakego-nuri door on the upper floor at the front.
- What was the Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse used for?
- It is a storehouse for household goods, with one room on each floor: an earth floor below and boards above.
- Can visitors see inside the Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse in Otari?
- No. It belongs to a private home that is not open to the public (as of September 2026).
- When was the Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse in Otari registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 3, 2024, as number 20-0666, together with the main house of the same homestead.
Basic Information
| Name | Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | Otsu 10490, Aza Yanase, Oaza Chikuni, Otari Village, Kitaazumi District, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2024/12/3 (Reiwa 6) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 2 stories (structure field: single story with partial 2nd floor); building area 42 square meters |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (private residence) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (private residence) |
References
- Nakamura Family Residence Storehouse, Otari (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015190
- Nakamura Family Residence Main House, Otari (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015189
Last verified: 2026.09.25
